Soldier Boy
This novel was fantastic! There are two stories running simultaneously with one story being the true story of Ricky Anywar, who in 1989 at the age of 14, was abducted from his home and thrown into the rebel army of Kony in the Ugandan Civil War. His story is heroic, frightening, and fascinating. The other narrative begins with Samuel who is recovering from war wounds and will soon be returning home but is dealing with the horrors of war. His story is sad yet true. The ending of this novel is beautiful!
Patrick and his brother Ricky live in a small village with their parents. Patrick, being the older brother is concerned about the ongoing war, which is close to their village, but his brother Ricky is more concerned with playing with his friends. The war is closer than they realize when one day, the rebels walk up their road and cause havoc on their village. They gather 5 boys, including Patrick and Ricky, tie them together and march them out. These boys will be marching for days without much food or drink. They learn that they are now part of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) and the only way out is death. This group believes that their top commanders words are words from the Holy Spirit and no one can question what he says. Later, when I get to meet this leader Kony, his words sound like a preacher. He calls upon the Lord and tells his troops that if they should perish it is because they did not believe in him (Kony). For Kony will protect them and only nonbelievers will be killed. These rebels were salvages and their tactics were extensive as they march their abductees day-in and day-out, looting villages and adding youngsters to their group. The conditions and situations these two brothers face and their love for one another made this a wonderful story. They are eventually separated from one another but that does not stop them from their commitment, their commitment to return home.
Samuel needs to remember his past, to come to grips with what has happen so he can heal and move forward but Samuel can’t see this. Samuel sees corruption, lies and evil in front of him and it will take time, patience and love for him to realize that he is not alone and that he is safe now.
What a great novel. I couldn’t stop reading this once I started. It was horrendous the situation that Ricky was in but I believe it was his outlook on life that helped him get through it. I loved his relationship with his brother and his relationship with his charges. He made the best of the situation. Ricky was smart, quick and a person who took charge. Samuel’s story was sad as we see the effects of war on an individual. Samuel is overcome with his past. As the novel began to close, I loved all the twists the author put in this novel. I began to experience different emotions for Ricky, things were changing for him and I began to wonder how things would be like for him. I was on the fence with Samuel and now I knew which way he was going to fall. I loved how the author brought everything together. I highly recommend this novel.
