Super Short Summary

What Is the What by Dave Eggers is a “fictionalized autobiography” about Valentino Achak Deng, a boy displaced during the Second Sudanese War. Fleeing his village after an attack, Deng endures a perilous journey through hostile territories, eventually reaching refugee camps and later emigrating to the United States, where he faces new challenges while reflecting on his past and helping other Sudanese refugees. The book contains descriptions of violence, trauma, and war.