The week of September 22-26 has been declared National Hazing Prevention Week, with the purpose of raising awareness of this destructive and frequently dangerous practice. Young people endure emotional and physical abuse because they believe it will make them part…
Category: Violence/War & Peace/Refugees
Music IS the Weapon: A review of Coda & Chorus by Emma Trevayne
A documentary of one my favorite musicians, the Nigerian Afropop star Fela, is titled Music is the Weapon (http://vimeo.com/8818071). Fela used music as his way to speak truth to power—it was such a powerful weapon that the government arrested him…
On Personal and Collective Memory: An Interview with Marjorie Agosín
Last week I reviewed Marjorie Agosín’s debut novel for middle grade readers, I Lived on Butterfly Hill. This lyrical novel is the story of a perceptive and courageous girl living in Valaparaío, Chile and facing traumatic political events that force…
From Chile to Maine and Back: A Review of I Lived on Butterfly Hill
Marjorie Agosín is an acclaimed poet and essayist whose dozens of published works explore the lives of women and Jews in her native Chile and the struggle for human rights around the world. I Lived on Butterfly Hill (Simon &…
Fleeing Genocide: A Review of The Weaver’s Scar
This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, which claimed the lives of up to a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The massacre revealed the helplessness of international organizations and spurred the establishment of the International Criminal…
Walking through Guatemala’s War with Caminar author Skila Brown
When I was a kid, I devoured books about World War II and the Civil War. These weren’t the only wars that meant anything to me, but they were the only wars written about by children’s authors. In my personal…
A General’s Life After War: Review of The Compassionate Warrior
A growing body of literature for middle grade and teen readers explores the lives of child soldiers, young refugees, and other survivors of war. In the past, however, biographies of those who sent others to war often celebrated the feats…
Into The Deep
In the past several years, Zetta Elliott has emerged as a major author of speculative fiction featuring African-American protagonists. Her two previous books for young readers, the young adult novel A Wish After Midnight (2010) and the middle grade novel…
Kidnapped in Uganda: A Review of War Brothers
The experiences of child soldiers in various parts of Africa have been the subject of novels, memoirs, and even picture books in recent years. For adult and older teen readers, outstanding titles include Ishmael Beah’s memoir A Long Way Gone,…
Review: Boxers & Saints
While it did not claim the top prize, it’s easy to see why Gene Luen Yang’s latest work, the two-volume set Boxers and Saints (First Second, 2013), was a finalist for this year’s National Book Award. Like in his National…