The Office of Undergraduate Studies is proud to announce the inception of the Missouri S&T One Book Program, which will incorporate a series of campus events focused on a single book. Incoming first-year students will be expected to read this book during the summer before they arrive on campus, and the book will be taught in all English 20 classes during the 2008-2009 school year. Additional programming related to the book, including lectures, films, discussions, musical events, and a writing contest, will also be scheduled throughout the Fall 2008 semester, and will be open to everyone.

The One Book Program enhances the intellectual life of the Missouri S&T campus by

• providing all incoming students with a common intellectual experience
• promoting the value and importance of reading beyond the classroom
• offering multiple opportunities for stimulating discussions and critical thinking on a topic of social relevance and
• fostering a sense of community and connectedness among students, faculty and staff

This year's One Book selection is They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of  Three Lost Boys of Sudan, written by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak (with Judy Bernstein), and published in 2005. TheyPoured Fire on Us is a powerful true story about the tragic civil war in Sudan, as witnessed by three of the tens of thousands of young children who were forced to flee their homes and walk more than a thousand miles across eastern Africa after their villages were destroyed. As one Washington Post reviewer described the book, They Poured Fire on Us is “one of the most riveting stories ever told of African childhoods – and a stirring tale of courage.”

The One Book Program will culminate on October 22, 2008, with a campus visit by the authors of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky.  They will give a campus-wide reading that is open to the public, answer questions, sign books, and present awards to the winners of the writing contest.

The Missouri S&T One Book Program hopes to reach all interested members of the Missouri S&T community, not just incoming freshmen. To this end, complimentary copies of They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky are available to any Missouri S&T faculty or staff member who would like one.  Faculty and staff should be prepared to show their university ID at the Missouri S&T Bookstore when they request their free copy.  For more information about the One Book program, please e-mail onebook@mst.edu or click on http://onebook.mst.edu.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

Between 1987 and 1989, civil war drove an estimated 20,000 young boys from their families and villages in southern Sudan. Many of them just six or seven years old, they fled to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into slavery and the northern army. These little boys walked more than a thousand miles, half of them dying before finally reaching a Kenyan refugee camp, where they languished for years and where many of them still reside. The survivors of this tragic exodus became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan.  They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is the true story of three of these young Sudanese boys, and their long journey that led them to America.

Benson Deng:  The oldest of the three boys, Benson was nine years old when war tore his family, and his world, apart.

Alephonsion (Alepho) Deng:  Benson’s brother Alepho was seven years old when he began his long and painful journey from decimated village to refugee camp to America.

Benjamin Ajak: The cousin of Benson and Alepho, Benjamin was only five years old when he fled from the violence that ravaged his village and killed his family.

They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky is widely available for purchase online and at many bookstores.  The Missouri S&T Bookstore is offering They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky to all their customers at the discounted price of only $10.00.

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