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kertl11_'s review
4.0
Heartbreaking and hard to read, but an important story to be told. The ending and afterword were a great tying together of themes and important issues.
thebookishaustin's review
4.0
This book had my heart and guts in turmoil. If you haven't researched into the use of children as soldiers, this is definitely a book to read. It was informative about wars in Africa, while also being more easily digestible than a nonfiction work. Soldier Boy is full of a good dose of reality by driving home the world in which child soldiers live.
I would recommend this to almost anyone that needs a different perspective on life or to anyone interested in history. It was so good!
I would recommend this to almost anyone that needs a different perspective on life or to anyone interested in history. It was so good!
krystimuggle's review
5.0
This book is unlike anything I've ever read. It is eye-opening, heartbreaking, and absolutely moving. The writing is lovely, and I cannot recommend listening to the audio version of this book highly enough. I am so glad that I stepped outside of my usual reading box and was able to experience this poignant story. This should absolutely be required reading.
alyssa_hollingsworth's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
dernhelms_bag's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot imagine the strength required to tell this story.
It is a shocking and heartbreaking reminder of what has been, what is, and what could be again when adults fail the children and allow atrocities like this to take place or take part in exploiting them.
It is a shocking and heartbreaking reminder of what has been, what is, and what could be again when adults fail the children and allow atrocities like this to take place or take part in exploiting them.
bdietrich's review against another edition
4.0
Based on Richard "Ricky" Anywar's life as a child soldier in Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda in the late '80s/early '90s, Soldier Boy is not an easy read. But, it is an important window story. Through Ricky's tale, we experience, first-hand, the trauma, the violence, the bloodshed, the horror of guerrilla warfare as Ricky goes from abducted preteen to soldier to respected soldier to escapee and beyond. Coupled with Ricky's chapters is a dual narrative: Samuel, a former child soldier who had been taken to an orphanage for healing. There, he plays checkers with a man and listens to the story of Ricky. How the two are connected is for you to read and and find out.
Soldier Boy is excellently done, and though it doesn't shy away from the gruesome horrors, it is appropriate for older tweens.
Soldier Boy is excellently done, and though it doesn't shy away from the gruesome horrors, it is appropriate for older tweens.
krystimeyer's review against another edition
5.0
This book is unlike anything I've ever read. It is eye-opening, heartbreaking, and absolutely moving. The writing is lovely, and I cannot recommend listening to the audio version of this book highly enough. I am so glad that I stepped outside of my usual reading box and was able to experience this poignant story. This should absolutely be required reading.
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