So I know it’s been over a month (please forgive me - I promise it won’t happen again) but I am back and I’ve finished Beast of no Nation. First of all I think this book is a must read, (some of the scenes followed me into my dreams). Secondly it’s not a light read (I know I should have been able to tell from the title but it was a small book so I thought it would be a breeze).
Iweala creates believable characters that you both empathise and chastise. Agu, the child soldier of which the story revolves around, is a victim of circumstance but does not feel faultless. Although many of his actions are beyond his control, at times I could not help but feel that he could have made better choices, even then I found myself stuck between a rock in a hard place, how do you make a choice between your life and that of another, furthermore how do you make the choice to stop surviving. Iweala seems to continuously challenge the reader and sees no need to find a resolute place for you. He writes in a way that is neither elaborate nor convoluted, and remains focused on simply the telling story of the child soldier well, and he does so successfully. The book is neither comfortable nor easy reading but definitely a must read raising awareness the complex plight of the child soldier. Child Soldiers International, SOS children villages, and War Child are some of the charities doing the diligent and consistent work required to stop the recruitment of child soldiers and to remove child soldiers from this oppressive position. Even if it is just for the sake of increasing your knowledge, you should look them up.
So after reading a beast of a book, what next? From Nigeria to Somalia – our book for this month is Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohammed. It’s a semi-autobiography set in 1930’s and 40’s Somalia, the home of Jama, a ten year old boy, who is taken on an unforeseeable journey during a period war and unrest. Here’s hoping that Jama’s journey is unlike that of Agu’s - fingers crossed!
Till next month!
Femi