A Rope from the Sky

The Making and Unmaking of the World's Newest State

By: Zach Vertin

Narrated by: Chris Andrew Ciulla

The birth of South Sudan was celebrated the world round - a triumph for global justice and the end of one of the world's most devastating wars. The Republic's historic independence was acclaimed not only by its long-oppressed people but also by three US presidents and the legions of Americans who championed their cause. But the celebration would not last: South Sudan's freedom-fighters soon plunged their new nation back into chaos, shattering the promise of liberation and exposing the hubris of their American backers.

Drawing on extraordinary personal stories of identity, liberation, and survival, this narrative tells an epic story of paradise won and then lost. Zach Vertin's firsthand accounts, from deadly war zones to the halls of Washington power, bring listeners on an extraordinary journey into the rise and fall of the world's newest state. South Sudan's untold story is a unique episode in global history - an unprecedented experiment in international state-building - and a cautionary tale.

A Rope from the Sky is propelled by characters both inspired and ordinary‚ their aspirations are matched by insecurities, their sins by courage and kindness. It is first a story of hope, power, greed, compassion, and conscience-shocking violence from the world's most neglected patch of territory. But it is also a story about the best and worst of America: both our big-hearted ideals and our difficult reckoning with the limits of American power amid a world in disarray.

©2019 Zach Vertin (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

The Book to Read on South Sudan

This is the only book on South Sudan that I have been able to find after several years of searching that is comprehensive, informative, and entertaining. That makes it an excellent place to begin piecing together what’s been happening in this troubled state for the past few decades. And since South Sudan is one of the most troubled states in the world, even just a small handful more people understanding it can make a big difference to alleviating human suffering. So, please read or listen to this book if you are considering it.

Sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, and chapter by chapter, it is a well written book. The author clearly spent a lot of time in South Sudan over many years with the International Crisis Group, and he got to know all the major players well. Sometimes it even reads like Washington insider politics as he discusses the way these personalities came together and clashed in the making of history. In this way, it is an unusually interesting book on African politics that might help readers and listeners understand political dynamics in the wider region as well. It also signifies the region by putting the focus on real political leaders instead of unseen structural forces. Meanwhile, it combines a nice mix of anecdotes and overview, which will keep most readers interested.

However, it is a slightly jarring approach to a region with which few will be familiar. A familiarity with insider politics usually comes after a general understanding of the state, history, culture, and socioeconomics, after all. So, the book often feels a little too familiar. The author also jumped around in time just enough to leave me a little uncertain of the year of events he was discussing. All of this would have been pretty normal for a bestseller on American politics, but it is unusual for a book on a state with which most readers will be unfamiliar, and the approach still needs some refinement.

Of course, many readers and listeners will have read about the Lost Boys of Sudan, the Sudanese Civil War, and the Darfur Genocide. I have actually read numerous books on these topics. However, the vast majority of these are autobiographical or novelized depictions of real events, like Dave Eggers extraordinary “What is the What.” But in an unstable region where history moves fast, these have quickly become distant events—in spite of their consequences still playing out. The challenge lies in linking the reader of this book to this wider literature, and that will be left to the reader, who should take on the task with relish, if only because of its importance. Not only can you do a lot of good understanding troubled parts of the world with which almost no one is familiar, but it can be rewarding to know more than the average mix of tens of thousands of people about it just by reading a single book.

~ Theo Horesh, author of The Holocausts We All Deny

Fascinating Book

The author transports the reader from the streets of South Sudan to the hallways of Congress with compelling insight. The book is wonderful on many levels but, importantly, helps all of us better understand the value of thoughtful diplomacy and the cost of thoughtless actions on the international stage. To the author one can only say “Oyee” with the hope his good work and great writing continues.