Eggers and book subject Deng speak at Chazen (77 Square)

Writer Dave Eggers and the South Sudanese man whose story he told in his 2006 book “What Is the What” were at UW-Madison on Wednesday to talk about the pairâ??s work in Sudan and to urge the overflow crowd to get involved in efforts to bring peace to the country.”What is the What,” a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award, is a fictionalized account of Valentino Achak Dengâ??s experience as a refugee from Sudanâ??s civil war. Proceeds from the bookâ??s sale fund a foundation he runs that focuses on increasing educational opportunities in his home village of Marial Bai. Much of Tuesdayâ??s talk and an accompanying slide show concerned Dengâ??s work to build a secondary school in the remote village.