BEASTS OF NO NATIONUzodinma Iweala
Personal Rating: 3.25/5
Yearly Count: 23
You can't let the light-weight of this book fool you; it is very heavy in content. It was an extremely difficult book to read and to rate. The language in which the narrator speaks is broken pidgin English, but I found it to be easy to comprehend; however, it may cause some to be annoyed.
The story of civil war is told through the eyes of Agu, a young boy, that is torn from his place of hiding to either join the rebel soldiers or die. Agu's experience is horrifying and leaves him stripped of all innocence. What else would you expect with the oxymoron "child-soldier"?
This by no means is a pleasurable read. It is filled with brutality and sadness. I learned from it, so ultimately I'm glad I read it, but it's not for everybody.
I found this a very moving book to read.
ReplyDeleteJoy, you are doing great on this challenge. It's so hard to read about war. I'm reading the 4th in Anne Perry's WWI series, which I'm loving, but the description of war is horrific.
ReplyDeleteComments from NYT Notable Book Challenge Blog:
ReplyDeletekookiejar said...
You are right that it is not for everybody, but it does give people a different perspective on war that we wouldn't get from the news. (That is, if the news covered wars in Africa in the first place). Good review.
March 30, 2007 1:56 PM
Wendy said...
Great review, Joy. I agree with what you said.
March 31, 2007 3:59 PM
Joy, I am one of those readers that found it difficult to read the pidgin English, but I have heard so much about how moving and sad the book is that I just have to try again.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I am so excited about the non-fiction challenge...May can't get here fast enough for me! :)
Lotus ~ I'm really looking forward to reading my non-fiction books as well. It won't be long. :)
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