A MOUTH FULL OF SALT by Reem Gaafar

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 44, Fourth Edition)

A MOUTH FULL OF SALT by Reem Gaafar, a writer, physician and film maker from Sudan is set in a small farming village in North Sudan which was woken up one morning to the news that a little boy had drowned.

 Soon after, the animals die of a mysterious illness and the date gardens catch fire and burn to the ground. The villagers whisper of a sorceress who dwells at the foot of the mountains. 

Meanwhile in Khartoum, a single mother makes her way in a world that wants to keep girls and women back. As civil war swells, the political intrudes into the personal and her position in the capital becomes untenable. She must return to the village.

A MOUTH FULL OF SALT uncovers a country on the brink of seismic change as its women decide for themselves which traditions are fit for purpose – and which prophecies it’s time to rewrite.

The book which won the 2023 Island Prize is available on Amazon.com

SONGS OF A WAR BOY by Deng Thiak Adut

 PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK (Week 43, Fourth Edition)

SONGS OF A WAR BOY is the true story of Deng Thiak Adut from Southern Sudan.

Deng Adut's family were farmers in South Sudan when a brutal civil war altered his life forever. At six years old, his mother was told she had to give him up to fight.

 At the age most children are starting school, Deng was conscripted into the Sudan People's Liberation Army. He began a harsh, relentless military training that saw this young boy trained to use an AK-47 and sent into battle. He lost the right to be a child. He lost the right to learn.

This is an inspiring story of a man who has overcome deadly adversity to become a lawyer and committed worker for the disenfranchised, helping refugees.

It is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to fleeing war, persecution and trauma.

SONGS OF A WAR BOY is available on Amazon. Com