Valentino Achak Deng was born in southern Sudan, in the Dinka village of Marial Bai.
In the mid-1980s, Deng was separated from his family when his village was destroyed during the second Sudanese Civil War. He walked hundreds of miles to Ethiopia, where he lived in refugee camps before moving to Atlanta, Georgia.
Deng is commonly known as the subject of best-selling author Dave Eggers’ recent book, What Is the What. Based on Deng's experiences, What Is the What is a novelized version of Deng's prewar life in Marial Bai to his resettlement in the United States. Separated from his family, Deng becomes a refugee in war-ravaged southern Sudan. His travels bring him in contact with enemy soldiers, liberation rebels, disease and starvation, and with the murahaleen—the same sort of militia on horseback that currently terrorize Darfur.
He currently lives in Pennsylvania and directs the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which uses the proceeds from What Is the What to aid the Sudanese in the United States and Sudan.
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