Alephonsion Deng (c. 1982 - ) is a

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...

ese author and speaker. He is best known as the co-author of the book'' They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys of Sudan'', along with his brother

Benson Benson may refer to: Animals *Benson (fish), largest common carp caught in Britain Places Geography Canada *Rural Municipality of Benson No. 35, Saskatchewan; rural municipality *Benson, Saskatchewan; hamlet United Kingdom * Benson, Oxfordshire ...

, cousin Benjamin and American author Judy A. Bernstein. In 1999 the

Federal government of the United States The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

welcomed Alephonsion as one of the

Lost Boys of Sudan The Lost Boys of Sudan refers to a group of over 20,000 boys of the Nuer and Dinka ethnic groups who were displaced or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War (1987–2005). Two million were killed and others were severely affected by the ...

. His first job was at Ralph's Grocery Store where he worked for nine months. An opportunity came up to be in a

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

movie hence he spent six months on the

Fox Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

set in

Rosarito, Mexico Rosarito is a coastal city in Playas de Rosarito Municipality, Baja California, situated on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. As of 2010, the city had a population of 65,278. Located south of the US-Mexico border, Rosarito is a part of the greater S ...

where he learned to sail a tall ship, fire a cannon and sword fight. He has spoken to over 100 schools such as Queens College in Nassau, Bahamas, universities, clubs and organizations about his extraordinary story of survival in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, adapting to his life in the

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and his hope for peace in the world. In 2006, Alephonsion made his stage debut in the lead role of Ater in a Mo'olelo production of Mia McCullough's drama ''Since Africa'' at San Diego's Diversionary Theatre and now appears in Across Worlds www.WayOfAdventure.org and speaks at schools around the country.

Awards

The two titles Deng has co-written have been the recipient of numerous awards. They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys of Sudan: *

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

Winner for Adult Books *

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

Top 100 Books of 2005 *

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

"Many Voices" Honoree *

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

Bestseller July 2005. *

American Booksellers Association The American Booksellers Association (ABA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1900 that promotes independent bookstores in the United States. ABA's core members are key participants in their communities' local economy and culture, and t ...

Book Sense Selection May 2005. * National Conflict Resolution Center Peacemakers Award * Book Sense Summer 2006 Paperback Selection * American Library Association List - Becoming an American * San Diego Union Tribune Warwick's Top Seller September 2015 (10th Anniversary Edition) Disturbed in Their Nests * 2018 Nautilus Gold Award winner, in the category of Multicultural and Indigenous Books

External links

Author autobiography

References

1982 births Living people South Sudanese writers Lost Boys of Sudan {{SouthSudan-writer-stub