Mac's+E-Journal

Description

WAR BROTHERS is a novel that very accurately portrays the criminality of adults who abduct kids to carry out crimes against humanity ... This engrossing book is vivid look at the hideous crimes committed by such groups and should be read by anyone wanting to know about kony’s LRA.

In this gripping and dramatic tale, Sharon McKay brings the horror of the war in Northern Uganda to life. Although hers is a work of fiction, the peril and loss that she so compellingly describes continue to be a sad reality for to many Acholi children today.Through her sensitive portrayal of their response to the harsh life of the child soldier, Ms. McKay explores how these innocent victims of war come to grips with dangers and dilemmas that no child should have to confront.

January 26, 2011 E-Log entry 1 chapters 1-5
 * WAR BROTHERS** is a haunting account of he traumatic experiences of child soldiers in Northern Uganda. An important testament to the estamated 300,000 such children around the world who have been coerced into direct participation in armed conflict, this remarkable story is one that should be read by young adults everywhere.

At first I wasn’t reading this book ( because I was reading Tweak) but once I was done ,I was totally engulfed in the book. The war brothers first five chapters don’t have much to do with the book, but it is incredibly descriptive and you can picture every detail so effortlessly that it’s just incredible. The character Paul reminds me of a boy I know named Travis because Paul is a good runner, likes soccer, and likes the outdoors, so does Travis. And also Travis used to always be the boss then we got in a fight with some people and now he looks to me for guidance when things went wrong so, like in the book with Jacob, I kinda assumed the roll of leader from that point on. Another way that Paul reminds me of Travis is that in those times when every things going wrong he’s able to keep moving like whatever happened didn’t happen.

Summary of the rest of book

After you get past the part wher they get to school the book really heats up, Kony's army breaks into the school and kidnaps them and one of them knocks Jacob out and when he wakes up he's somewhere completely unrecignizeable and he's totally lost. And to top all off he's being threatened that if he can't walk on his own he'll die, so that just completely throws everything off for him cause it's their fault he's injured in the first place. Anyway so after that, they are forced to march through the feilds and hills and other places and they don't even know how close they are to home. And at one of the next villages they are shown what happens if they try to escape, they pick a girl with a scarf around her head and they take off the scarf and the girl's ears have been cut off. The girl's name is Hannah and later on she becomes the key to escaping because without the distraction she creates, they would have heard Jacob's panga cutting through the tent tarp. Then they escape and she snuck mangos from camp and they eat like, right before one of them faints or something. Then they have a meet up with Lizard who turns out to be Henry Musa Torac's kid-napped grandson,OMG i couldnt believe that part. Anyway, a funny part of their escape is the gorilla, Hannahs the only one with the guts to aproach it and she tries starting a conversation with it but it looks at her like a bird to a same gender bird, ( barly notices her there). so she finds it funny that the guys were affraid to go near it. After that, they decide that they'll go down the path to the cabin, but, on the way there,the government soldiers jump out of the bush and some stuff that you should read the book to find out about. and then they get sent to a facility that helps re-integrate people into society, but no one trusts them, and they are treated like they were in on kony's plan all along. And afetr the books done it talks about what happened to the characters, like tony died of "twoo janya' AIDS :(, or that Ethel and Jacob's dad got married and that, when the book was published , Hannah and Jacob were about two months from being married. Like Jacob said when he said that part, " SURPRISE"! Any way , I feel soooooooo bad about Tony, because he killed he thought he could never become a preist so he dropped out of George Jones Seminary for boys and became more and more reckless until like I said , he died of " twoo janya" AIDS.

Mac, I am very impressed with your own thoughts regarding this very challenging and emotionally charged novel. You clearly have been engaged and I appreciate your honesty in your reflection and summary. I encourage you to continue to write thoughtfully and make connections to your own background knowledge and experiences. I ask that you consider your use of 'voice'. Your writing is written as though you are speaking, (anyway, OMG etc.) this perhaps takes away from your written work and the importance of content. I imagine you will be a candidate for a sequal! Keep up the good writing and be sure to share your knowledge and insight. Ms C :)

Task # 6: [] the song above is where is the love by black eyed peas, it makes so much sence with the books content

when it is that doth we not know does thoughst surrender or continue to show , the bravery, the heart of a lion, the courage to carry on? If its thoust choice to do so, do it on the side of GOD. He shath forgive thoust in defending self, or country or spirit, but NOT much else. -Mac.Campbell I made this upon the spot but I believe it relates to the novel well enough, what do ya think?