Ending Jacob's Journey

A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk

To start off Oscar is not dead, and while Willy and Jacob were walking to the Kakuma Refugee Camp Oscar gets a ride to the camp by a SPLA officer that feels bad that he is walking alone. The three unite again in the camp. The boys return to going to school. The receive notebooks and pencils from other places in the world so they are able to right on paper instead of in the dirt. The receive other items from other places in the world as well as clothing and other numerals supplies. Jacob is a very knowledgeable boy and picks up learning new English letters and words very quickly. Due to Jacobs ability to communicate in both English and Sudanese, he receives a job offer of becoming a translator, and he accepts. Jacob begins saving his money for schooling. Jacob soon leaves just like his nephew, in the night, leaving Oscar and Willy behind. We never do hear about them again. Jacob is off to "school". Jacob becomes the owner of goats, that he names after his family. My thoughts on Jacob naming the goats after his family is, to me, a tad strange. Jacob also "sells" tobacco. This section of the book flies by. We have several pages of walking at the beginning of the book that could have easily shortened to learn more about Jacob's life after Kakuma.

We are re-introduced to Uncle Daniel. The meeting really comes out of nowhere and we are not given tons of information about the encounter. Uncle Daniel is the only family member that comes back into Jacobs life, as far as I know. The whole point of Jacobs travels is to continue his schooling. The last page the book ends on is Jacob writing to his Mama. Pg.274 "Dear Mama: I hope you hear my words,wherever you are.Can you see me in school? I am wearing shoes, and i am writing this letter to you in English, in my new notebook. You are with me everyday, Mama. I hear your voice telling me, "Wadeng," and I see your face when i go to sleep every night. I hope you can still hear the stars singing over Southern Sudan..." and that has to be the most inclusive and disatisfying ending I have read. We know Jacob makes it to school, but that's that, nothing about after school. This happened so quickly. Maybe it was like this because it is trying to have us feel how the tie is passing how Jacob felt it. However a good writer can accomplish that without dragging less important sections on for what feels like forever.

All in all I am glad that  had the opportunity to read this book, and learn this story. I wish the book had more information on Jacobs life past where the book ends. There are interview questions in the back of the book and if you read those, you learn that Jacob made it to Canada, and a little more information that I feel could have been incorporated into the books "story".