What Is The What

Deng continues to kick the floor, trying desperately to get his neighbors to hear him, then finally realizes that he can roll. He rolls to the front door and bangs his feet against it, over 200 times, but still nobody comes to help. He remembers Mary Williams, the woman who founded the Lost Boys Foundation. Achor Achor had introduced them about a week after Deng arrived in Atlanta. He later discovered that much of her funding had come about because she was the adopted daughter of Jane Fonda. Through the work of Williams, many of the Lost Boys found themselves in contact with high-profile people, including basketball player Manute Bol, former president Jimmy Carter, and actress Angelina Jolie. Still, many of the Lost Boys blamed Mary for things that were beyond her control, and got very jealous and spiteful when others of their group seemed to be given advantages:

I do not think that the Sudanese are particularly argumentative people, but those in Atlanta seem, too often, to find reason to feel slighted by whatever is given to any other. It became difficult to accept a job, a referral. Any gift, from church or sponsor, was received with a mixture of gratitude and trepidation (169).