War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story

Title
War Child: A Boy Soldier's Story

Author
Emmanuel Jal

UK Publisher
Little, Brown

North American Publisher
St Martin's Press

Schedule
Published

Rights
Kosmos (Dutch), Rocco (Brazillian), TEA (Italian), Porto (Portuguese)

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Synopsis

Emmanuel Jal was only eight years old when he was taken from his family home to become a child soldier with the rebel army in Sudan's bloody civil war for nearly five years. Beaten, starved and brutalised Emmanuel was put into battle in Ethiopia and southern Sudan carrying an AK-47 talller than himself. He attempted to leave the SPLA but was hunted down and thrown into a desert prison. He finally escaped and is now an internationally-acclaimed rap artist spreading messages of peace and reconciliation with his unique style of gospel rap. Written with Megan Lloyd Davies.

Reviews

"Fast-paced... stark... a provocative challenge."

The New York Times

"There's no glamour here, no pitched battles, only unimaginable misery... Utterly grounded, specific and real... You'll come away from this book loving Emmanuel Jal."

Washington Post

"Powerful...[an] intense personal story."

Booklist

"Frank, unsparing...[A] searing portrait of a war-torn youth turned community advocate and role model. "

Kirkus Reviews

"Disturbing and visceral...Jal tells his story in spare, direct, and searing prose that leaves nothing to the imagination and offers a close-up view of the damage done to the psyches of children turned into warriors. "

Library Journal

"Jal's story... fits securely in the history of Sudan's second civil war but also stands on its own. Against a beast of a war that spiraled into battles between all those fighting to survive, Jal who struggles not to become a brutal killer of jallabas, eventually succumbs in order to survive. Unlike many of the Lost Boys, however, Jal finds salvation through the grace of two women who steer him toward education. His subsequent life as a rapper and philanthropist trying to save other children from similar pain and anguish leaves hope for the possibility of redemption. The Verdict: Read "

Time

"The absolute opposite of war-porn, this is an eye-opening and highly recommended read..."

Joe Muggs, The Word

"The astonishing and often harrowing story of how the author, carrying an AK-47 taller than he was, became one of "the Lost Boys of Sudan" - a child soldier - before finding a new life in hip hop."

The Observer