Son of a Gun

Gr 7–9—On an ordinary day at school, Nopi, 10, and her 8-year-old brother, Lucky, are kidnapped to become soldiers in what would turn into Liberia's 14-year civil war. Long gone are days of playing with friends or gathering with family for festivals. In their new reality, the children and their friend James are given AK-47's and told to take the lives of others. To desensitize them, they are also given drugs. Bravery and defiance drive Nopi to hurl herself at a sergeant after he strikes Lucky and, when he retaliates by hitting and kicking her, she loses her hearing. At night, the three children stick together, ruminating on ways to flee their environment. Once they get the opportunity to leave, they return to a war-torn village and the corpses of people they once knew. Although it gets a little dry because of a surfeit of detail, this is a searing, graphically charged novel, told alternately by Nopi and Lucky, with several historical and pivotal stories incorporated into the narrative. Readers can take a deep breath when they learn that these children aren't soldiers forever. Local people are credited for the illustrations provided in the back of the book, along with facts and figures about Liberia. The Disarmament Demobilization Reintegration Resocialization (DDRR) program offered by the UN allows former combatants to turn in their weapons for money, therapy, and an education or vocational opportunity.—Keisha M. Miller, South Orange Public Library, NJ