Congratulations to K.Saroja, winner of a copy of the next Global Book Club book! Your comments and insights are greatly appreciated – thank you for participating.
Question answered by Rebecca Nunn, Assistant Director of Administration at PTPI
5. How would you compare Deo’s experiences in New York City compared to his years growing up in Burundi? How about his return visits to Burundi?
In the first half of the book it goes back and forth between New York and when Deo was a child in Burundi. It surprised me how his experiences in New York were much more dire than they were as a child in Burundi. He was confronted by a culture that he knew nothing about, could not speak English and was battling sickness. Growing up, Deo’s family was well off by local standards; they had land, a home, and a nice herd of cattle. Deo worked very hard as a child, but he had a good support system of family and friends and was able to go to school.
In New York he had to fend for himself and did not have anyone but strangers to help him. I can imagine it was quite a shock for him to come to America, which was supposed to be a land of promise, only to find himself living on the street and relying on others to survive. When he started going to school and working for Partners in Health he found a better quality of life, but still felt that loneliness and guilt for leaving Burundi behind. When Deo returns to Burundi, he was outraged and embarrassed at what had become of Bujumbura and the disorganization of the city. On his long trip through the city and countryside, it was hard to read at times because you know he is reliving the terrible experiences of his past. When he gets to Kayanza, his adopted hometown, he seems at peace and realizes what he needs to do to start a clinic there. I found it so inspirational that Deo felt he needed to get back to New York right away after his trip to Burundi so he could start fundraising and speaking about starting the clinic.
The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.
