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Salva Dut
Salva Dut is based on a real person, and one of the two main characters in A Long Walk to Water. Both in the book and in real life, Salva grows up in a…
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Nya
Nya is the other main character in A Long Walk to Water, also based on a real person. A young girl, Nya spends much of her waking life walking to and from a large…
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Uncle Jewiir
Uncle Jewiir, the uncle of Salva Dut, is a former South Sudanese soldier. During the middle portion of the book, Jewiir acts as a guardian and protector to Salva, while they and thousands of…
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Minor Characters
Akeer
Nya’s five-year-old sister, who suffers from gastrointestinal pain as a result of drinking dirty water.
Buksa
A young member of the Jur-chol tribe, who walks alongside Salva Dut after they’re both forced out of their villages.
Marial
A young boy, Marial is Salva Dut’s only friend early on in the refugee crisis, who mysteriously disappears, possibly because he’s eaten by a lion.
Dep
The older brother of Nya.
Michael
An Irish aid worker who teaches Salva Dut how to read and write English, and how to play volleyball.
Chris
An American man who, along with his wife Louise, adopts Salva Dut, and later helps Salva found a nonprofit.
Louise
An American woman who, along with her husband Chris, adopts Salva Dut, and later helps Salva found a nonprofit.
Mawien Dut Ariik
The father of Salva Dut, who doesn’t appear in the book until the final pages.
Scott
A friend of Chris and Louise, who helps Salva Dut set up a nonprofit designed to help Sudanese villages.
