Chapter 13 Summary

Nya: Nya thinks it is funny that the drill to get water takes water to operate smoothly.  The bag that held the drill water sprung a leak, then the patch leaked too! The workers were discouraged, but their boss made them keep working even when they wanted to give up.  He is a very good leader.

Salva: Salva almost drowns while crossing the river because a boy climbs onto him as he is swimming across. He survives because the boy got shot in the neck by a soldier.  Over 1000 people died while try to cross the Gilo River on account of the soldiers shooting at them, the current drowning them, and the crocodiles attacking them.

Salva decides to head south to Kenya.  He becomes the leader of a group of about 1,500 boys. He looks out for the little ones especially, remembering back to his walk to Ethiopia. Everyone has a job and everything is shared equally.  Salva proved himself to be an excellent leader because more than 1,200 boys make it safely to Kenya.  It took them over a year and a half.

- Mrs. Johnson's class

Chapter 12 Summary

Nya: A red, giraffe-like drill and other equipment is brought in by the visitors. The land between the tree is still being cleared.  Women are bringing loads of rock which the rest of the villagers break into gravel. The whole village has come together.

Salva: Salva suddenly comes to the realization that his family is most likely dead. Instead of despairing, Salva becomes even more determined to survive to honor the memory of his family. He tells himself that he must only survive through the day each day. Six years pass in this way.

Word travels that the camp might be closing because Ethiopia's government is changing.  Soldiers arrive and start pushing people out of the camp by shouting and shooting their guns in the air.  They do not stop after the camp, but continue to drive the people towards the Gilo River. It is the rainy season, so the river's current will be very strong. The current is not the only danger though; there are crocodiles as well.

-Mrs. Johnson's class

Chapter 11 Summary

Salva arrives at the refugee camp, feeling uncertain, and scared. Yet he feels stronger, and more determined than ever to survive. Upon arriving Salva was separated from his group and given food. At the end of the chapter Salva spots a woman wearing an orange headscarf like his mother's, and begins running after her.

- Damien D.

Chapter 10 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 9 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 8 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 7 Summary

Nya: Nya’s sister, Akeer, is very, very sick. This illness is common to Nya’s area, and for the elderly and small children it can be fatal. There is a clinic a few days’ walk away, but the family has to decide whether Akeer can survive the trip or if she should stay in the village to rest.

Salva: Salva is absolutely terrified now that his friend was eaten by a lion. Uncle was able to calm Salva’s fear enough that Salva could keep walking each day. Eventually the group came to the bank of the Nile River at one of its widest parts. Uncle explained they must cross the river and then a desert before finally arriving to Ethiopia. The group made boats out of reeds.  It took two days before they were finally ready to cross the river.

- Mrs. Johnson

Chapter 6 Summary

Well Nya’s family had been coming to the camp for years. They don’t have a house there. Her mother is really afraid that her family would get injured.

Salva meets his uncle but his uncle doesn’t know where the rest of his family is. Uncle has his gun. They were able to eat because he shot an antelope. Then they entered the land of lions. One day while looking for water they walked all through the night. They collapsed at dawn. When Uncle woke Salva, Salva’s friend, Marial, was gone.

- JaNae C.

Chapter 5 Summary

Nya's family didn't live by the lake all year round because of the fighting. So Nya and the rest of the village lived at the lake only during the five months of the dry season, when both tribes were so busy struggling for survival.

Salva's eyes were swollen shut. Buksa's forearms were lumpy and raw!

- Brian R.

[Teacher's note: Buksa followed a honey bird which guided the starving group to a beehive.  They could not smoke the bees out, so in the process of retrieving the honey comb, many people were stung.  Salva thought the honey was well worth the bee stings]

Chapter 4 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 3 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 2 Summary

Summary to come!

Chapter 1 Summary

Summary to come!

Introduction

It is only fair that for our first post we explain who we are and what we are doing.  This is a class project for Mrs. Johnson's English 11 class at The Academy for Innovative Studies in Evansville, IN.  We are currently reading the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, which is based on a true story.  Over the course of this blog, it is our intention to summarize each of the chapters of the book. Each summary will be written by a student of this class.  We will also attempt to dabble in explorations of themes and what we can take away from this book.

This book actually has two stories.  The beginning of every chapter starts with the tale of Nya, a young Nuer girl living in southern Sudan.  Every day she must make two trips to the pond to fetch water for her family.  The second story is the larger portion.  It is the tale of a man named Salva Dut, who at the beginning of our tale is only 11 years old.  It is 1985 and civil war is raging in Sudan between the government and the rebels.

With that, we leave you in anticipation of the subsequent summaries!

- Mrs. Johnson's English 11 class