the events of 9/11 comes across as a wholly unnecessary contrivance - WHAT IS THE WHAT strikes nothing but solid chords. Eggers reveals refugee life for what it is, making clear that for many such victims, being a refugee in America can be at least as difficult in its way as being one in a Kenyan U.N. camp. "The What" of America really is, for Achak and his tragic girlfriend Tabitha and so many others, just a different cow. Who is to know which What we should say yes to? Perhaps that's the point, to just keep trying, never settling for too little but never forgetting our first home and first offer, either. Dave Eggers renders the story of man's inhumanity to man, and one extraordinary man's struggle for identity and dignity, with his own beautiful touch of humanism. Amid those endless horrors and struggles to survive, his characters never become caricatures - he makes us feel and cry for each and every one of them. You're looking for a good book. You've read Dave Eggers or you've met him at a signing. You're thinking that you'll eventually pick this one up too. Everyone is talking about it. Besides, the cover is fantastic and it will look great on your shelf, the one that all your dates or babysitters scan. Be prepared, though, this is not a book that deserves a simple glance or casual committment. It's a brilliantly woven tale, mostly true, of a young Sudanese and his daily