War Child: A Child Soldier's Story [Paperback]

There are few first person accounts from Sudanese refugees and none that I know of from former 'lost boy' who actually served in the SPLA. This frightening, honest, gritty, and often unsettling account of the events that shaped Jal's life is well worth reading. It is one of those books where the substance is so critically important that it overshadows any shortcomings in the writing.

War Child is the autobiography of Emmanual Jal and details his journey from Sudanese refugee to international rapper. From the outset, we know the beginning and the end of the story as it is outlined in the first chapter.

Jal's story begins as he is forced to flee with his family from village to village in order to escape civil war. At age 7 he is told that he is to go to school so that he can be part of Sudan's future. But given a turn of events he is 'educated' by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and becomes a child soldier. Eventually, he becomes a 'Lost Boy' adoptee of British aide worker, Emma McCune which leads him on a path to spiritual and emotional healing. The book leads up to the present day where he is a popular Christian rapper and social advocate for change in the Sudan.

But this book is not an easy read. And it is not for the faint of heart. It deals with a young boy growing up in a brutal and unforgiving environment. He speaks of all the atrocities that occurred (and continue to occur) in Sudan. This includes the brutalities of war, cold blooded killing, rape, starvation, and death. Jal's survival is as much due to luck as it is due to his intelligence and his skill. Jal writes in short, punctuated chapters. The sparse prose may reflect the fact that English is his third language but also suits the subject matter well. He tells his story simply and with integrity.

However, the book is not without flaws. Some of these issues may be edited more thoroughly when the book is officially released and may be a function of the fact that I received a reviewer's copy of the manuscript and not the final document. One gets the sense that Jal dictated the manuscript and that his editor/secondary author transcribed the dictations. Occasionally, the reader gets confused about the timing of certain events and at times there are obvious contradictions in the manuscript. Some events are recounted in minute detail. At other times, events are skipped altogether or simply glossed over resulting in confusion on the part of the reader.

But remember, the author is trying to recall events that occurred when he was as young as 7 years old and his memories may not be complete or exactly in order. The prose could be tightened a bit in the middle section where he recounts skirmishes and life in the SPLA. The narrative gives us the sense of the heartlessness and emotionlessness of the child soldier who is motivated by hate. The monotony of this kind of existence is apparent but may be over stressed.

After reading the book, I decided to listen to some of Jal's recordings. Even though I am not a fan of rap, I couldn't help but be moved by his music. As in the book, he bares himself wide open on stage and in recordings. The poetry is not perfect. The music is okay. The rap may not be the most sophisticated. But Jal's reality supersedes his medium. You can't help but feel the gravity of his sentiment because he actually lived through the horror--he's the real thing.

His book is the real thing too. The power of his story resonates easily with the reader and supersedes any of the aforementioned flaws. This is a powerful story of a boy becoming a man and surviving in spite of the odds. It is also a story of love overcoming hate. It is a must-read and I highly recommend it.

We hear about the wars and conflicts and suffering in Africa but as soon as you turn off the TV or close the magazine or put down the paper it goes away and it is easily forgotten. This book changed that for me. Since reading this book it has continued to come back to me. It seems that it is not so easy to forget once you know someone this has happened to. The atrocities are almost surreal, but I know they are real and I started to care about what was happening to this boy. While not a perfect book it made what has and is still happening very real for me.

The Lost Boys of Sudan are getting more and more publicity. I certainly do not begrudge them of this! The world needs to know their story, and children should never have to choose between becoming targets or soldiers.

In War Child: A Child Soldier's Story, Emmanuel Jal tells his story. His family is uprooted in a Sudanese civil war. Most of his immediate family is killed. As an adult, Jal is reunited with his sister, and his father, a rebel leader, loses touch with Jal, with their eventual reunion a bittersweet affair since he seems to have abandoned Jal.

But the story here, in Jal's own words, is the transformation of a young boy into a "soldier". You never get a sense that Jal is a particularly good soldier. A lot of his shooting is "point and pull the trigger." He does kill, sometimes from afar, and sometimes very close. Miraculously, he survives, and the wife of a rebel leader, and then a foreign aid worker, coaches him back to a non-violent life. He becomes a popular hip-hop singer and rapper who praises Jesus.

Well, that's about it.

Now, I appreciated the rawness and choppiness of the writing style. It "sounded" like a young boy was narrating. And Jal's interpretation of events surrounding him in Sudan and Ethiopia had a naive, innocent flavor. Young boys have to be taught to hate. They certainly have to be taught to kill. This training he remembers most vividly. The battles are less clear... point and pull the trigger.

Unfortunately, Jal is committed to praising God for his rescue and for his salvation. The terrors inflicted on the people of Sudan, the rapes and tortures, the killing, the starvation, and the disease, really don't point me in the direction of a "well HE made it, so God is demonstrating his power and kindness." Just a thought.

This book will be compared with Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. This latter book detailed Beah's adventures as a child soldier in Sierra Leone, as well as his rehabilitation. Both Beah and Jal experienced horror. Both Beah and Jal had some difficulties becoming reunited with "civilization." I thought Beah's book was more engaging, and less preachy.

I hope Jal continues making a positive difference, helping others in Africa and elsewhere uprooted from their homes and given a weapon. It's a story that needs to be told.

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