Judy Bernstein and Alephonsion Deng’s first book, THEY POURED FIRE ON US FROM THE SKY (Public Affairs/2005) tells the story of Alepho’s life in Sudan; it received numerous honors including being listed on The Washington Post’s Top 100 Books of 2005 and the National Conflict Resolution Center Peacemakers Award. It was a Los Angeles Times Bestseller, has gone back to press 25 times, and launched Alepho as a sought-after public speaker.
DISTURBED in their Nests: A JOURNEY FROM SUDAN’S DINKALAND TO SAN DIEGO’S CITY HEIGHTS
“DISTURBED IN THEIR NESTS is a strikingly original memoir that opens a broader conversation on the momentous issues of our time . . .The captivating stories create eyebrow-raising reflections on the nature of suffering [and] humane obligations to assist one another . . . [and shine] positive light on otherness . . . and the clever navigation of the long pathways from localism to cosmopolitanism that speaks to the richness and transformative capacity of social relationships.”
—Toyin Falola, author of A MOUTH SWEETER THAN SALT
*Nautilus Gold Award Winner for Multicultural and Indigenous category*
When he arrived in America at 19 years old, Sudanese refugee Alephonsion Deng had never owned shoes or flipped a light switch. The suburban mom who greeted him at the International Rescue Committee in San Diego, Judy Bernstein, had never left her SUV to ride the bus. Their memoir, DISTURBED IN THEIR NESTS, recounts the initial collision of their cultures, growing trust, and ultimate friendship in adjusting Alepho to his new country, and reveals two very different ideas about America and its promises. This is the story of Alepho’s first year in America.