Tamba, Child Soldierby Karen MaedaReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 10 Tamba, Child Soldier is a somber must-read about a child who was kidnapped from his village when he was eight and forced to become a soldier for a militant rebel group in the jungle. This book was purposely left a bit vague as to where its location was, but likely represents the story of the hundreds of thousands of children who have been kidnapped in the Sierra Leone region of Africa. These children were often drugged, brainwashed, and forced to kill out of fear of what their rebel commanders would do to them or their villages. This graphic novel is a difficult read due to its heart-wrenching topic, but well worth your time.There are four primary characters in this story: Tamba, the boy giving his testimonial about the atrocities he was an unwilling participant of; Awa, a girl from his village who he grew up with; Aceyta, another child soldier, but even more so, a person that Tamba could have chosen to become; and finally George, a man from a refugee camp who acts as a father, friend, and guide after Tamba and Awa have escaped. This graphic novel serves as an explanation of the logic that goes behind the kidnapping of children to turn them into soldiers. They cannot fight back, and they do not fight for wages. They fight out of fear, and seek the love of their commanders. Once kidnapped, they are too small and young to be able to fight and free themselves unless they are very strong willed. Tamba, who is one of these types of children, tells his story from beginning, to the current moment when he is in the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation meeting. With it, his plight is shared by all who hear him. The art by Yann Degruel is awesome! It is water-color based, and uses a limited color palette, which gives an idea of how colorless the world could seem if your life is under so much control with little hope, like Tamba and the children who share his reality is. This novel is well worth the four-year wait. Marion Archard does an amazing job sharing this sad tale, doing so in a well-presented manner. I recommend this for libraries and historians alike. Written: January 5, 2020
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