“Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them”
Follow Lukonge Achilees as he recounts his life in his inspirational memoir ” The Dream from Dust”. Through the many challenges of famine, poverty, disease, alcoholism and war, he emphasises the value of pursuing your dream and always being grateful for what you have and the people around you. Serving as one of my first insights into life in Uganda, this story touched my heart and reminded me to never take life for granted.
We progress through the story in chronological order, beginning with the
Uganda-Tanzania war. As someone who has never been to Africa, it was eye-opening to read a first-person perspective on life there. From the history of Uganda to the challenges faced by people there, the author provides a dive into Ugandan culture. This alone I feel already makes this book worth the read. It is not often you get such a deep view into another culture.
The stories shared by the author include his family life, school life, and experience doing social work. I loved reading through his stories – some left me sorrowful, others angry. Many explore the multifacetedness of people. Additionally, the fiction-like descriptions helped me immerse into the story – it was easy to feel for the author and others. Through these stories, the themes of always fighting for your dreams and being grateful are hammered home. That being said, the matters covered in this book are heavy and may not be suitable for everyone.
Topics include the aforementioned famine, poverty, disease, alcoholism and war, as well as HIV/AIDS,
trauma, and physical and verbal abuse. With how deeply the author explores most of these topics, I would not recommend picking up this book if you may be affected.
The story was largely easy to follow, though made slightly tough by the some Luganda words and Names. There were also few grammatical errors sprinkled in some parts of the book. Occasionally affecting my reading pace. However, it also gave a sort of
“raw” feeling that contributes to the heart wrenching-ness of the story. Either way, I was mostly unbothered by few grammar mistakes, though I can imagine otherwise for some.
A very minor nitpick I do have is the ending. I expected a wrap up of the author’s beliefs and his hopes for the future, perhaps even a call to action on what we can do. What was instead given was details about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Uganda. As a subject, I take no issue with it, but as a conclusion, it felt abrupt. Unfortunately, this left an unsatisfied feeling after putting down the book.
Despite the issues the book has, I still recommend anyone to pick up the book, except people who may get triggered by the topics covered. Both as an exploration into Ugandan culture and as a beautiful story with many valuable lessons, I firmly believe it is worth the read. I myself took away many things, and I believe it will be the same for most people. One of the best book to have Read.
Lukonge Achilees Education, Travel, and Health Blog 