A Long Walk to $4 Million

A Long Walk to $4 Million

From Unban Coolies by Christopher Lau

November 10, 2025 · 14 min

About this episode

Linda Sue Park discusses the impact of her book 'A Long Walk to Water' and the broader implications of book bans.

What happens when a children's book becomes a force for global change? We sit down with Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park to discuss the astonishing real-world ripple effect of her novel, A Long Walk to Water. Inspired by the true story of Salva Dut, one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, the book has sparked a movement. Linda Sue reveals how student readers, moved by Salva's mission to bring clean water to his homeland, have now raised over 4 MILLION DOLLARS to build hundreds of wells, serving millions of people. We're also on the front lines of the book ban debate, where Linda Sue argues that these challenges are not about books, they are about power. She shares her perspective on why every child deserves to see themselves in a story and how literature acts as a vital training ground for empathy, resilience, and building a better world. This is a conversation about the quiet revolution that happens when readers are inspired to act, proving that a single story can be both a mirror and a map. Linda Sue Park is a celebrated author of children's and young adult literature, best known for her Newbery Medal-winning book, A Single Shard. Born in Illinois to Korean…

People in this episode

Host: Christopher Lau

Guest: Linda Sue Park

Topics covered

  • children's literature
  • global change
  • book bans
  • empathy
  • clean water
  • inspiration

Keywords

  • children's book
  • Newbery Medal
  • Salva Dut
  • clean water
  • book ban
  • literature
  • empathy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Long Walk to Water, A Single Shard

Places: Sudan, Illinois

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