The Lost Boy: Tales of a Child Soldier is the profoundly moving story of Ayik Chut Deng, a former boy soldier fighting battles in Ethiopia and Sudan, who faced unspeakable violence, and his determination to create a new life after his escape to Australia. You will remember this inspirational story long after putting it down.
Ayik Chut Deng was a member of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and during his time as a child soldier, he witnessed unspeakable violence. He was regularly tortured by older boys and made many attempts to escape the army training camp in Sudan.
At age nineteen, he and his family managed to escape the conflict and resettled a world away in Toowoomba, Australia. Adjusting to his new life in small-town Queensland was more difficult than he anticipated. When Ayik arrived, he knew little English and had no formal education. While he and his brothers became local celebrities, he struggled academically and experienced racism and feelings of isolation, all while repressing a haunting past.
His attempts at moving on were difficult and when he was medicated for misdiagnosed schizophrenia, his life started to spiral out of control. Drugs and alcohol helped to repress what was later diagnosed as PTSD. For many years he didn’t talk about his experience, as it was not the African way. Yet a series of events, including an astounding chance encounter at a local church, lead him to confronting the past.
Ayik Chut Deng’s story was part of the SBS series Look me in the Eye and this experience and the feedback from viewers he received inspired him to write The Lost Boy: Tales of a Child Soldier. In his forward to the book, Ray Martin describes the book as a ‘searing saga that left me shaking my head in amazement’. Now aged 43 it is astounding to consider what Ayik has had to overcome to be able to tell his story and move on with his life.
This is a survival story. It’s eye-opening and compelling and you can’t help but contemplate your own 12-year-old self and question would you have been strong enough and determined enough to come out the other side? I found that I wanted to keep turning the pages but at the same time pause to contemplate the enormity of Ayik Chut Deng’s story. You’ll be sad, angry and inspired but also reminded of just how lucky we all are. It certainly puts things in perspective and perhaps that’s exactly what we need right now. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy.
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