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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Mariatu is a survivor of the civil war in Sierra Leone, and her story is a graphic, devastating one. This book is guaranteed to make you sick to your stomach over the evil that humans are capable of. Definitely not a delightful read, but I always think if other people can be strong enough to live through trauma and tragedy, I can be strong enough to as least read their stories. If this is a subject you’re interested in, this book would also pair very well with A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Knowing about civil wars in Africa is a bit like knowing that Mary Todd Lincoln was committed to Bellevue Insane Asylum in Batavia, Illinois. It’s true. It’s sad. But it’s distant and, for most people, probably doesn’t have a huge impact on your daily life. So part of what I liked about this book was how it took an enormous fact and personalizes it through one person’s story.
Kamara also writes about her life in Sierra Leone before the rebels, which was interesting. I know little about village life in Sierra Leone, so found those parts particularly enjoyable. However, as a Western reader, much of what she wrote seems atrocious to me. What happened to her was, of course, terrible… but not all of it was the rebels.
This book left me thinking, but mostly about what was destroyed in Sierra Leone. Unrelated to the war, the author was raped and abused by members of her village. She writes fondly, in other parts of the book, of the women who held her down and mutilated her genitals. She even forgives the man who raped her without seeming particularly angry about it. Maybe I should be more understanding of other cultures, but I can’t get past these repulsive things.
I think I was supposed to be disgusted with the rebels. I was—but they’re brainwashed kids strung out on drugs. As for the people of her village, what’s their excuse?
Kamara also writes about her life in Sierra Leone before the rebels, which was interesting. I know little about village life in Sierra Leone, so found those parts particularly enjoyable. However, as a Western reader, much of what she wrote seems atrocious to me. What happened to her was, of course, terrible… but not all of it was the rebels.
This book left me thinking, but mostly about what was destroyed in Sierra Leone. Unrelated to the war, the author was raped and abused by members of her village. She writes fondly, in other parts of the book, of the women who held her down and mutilated her genitals. She even forgives the man who raped her without seeming particularly angry about it. Maybe I should be more understanding of other cultures, but I can’t get past these repulsive things.
I think I was supposed to be disgusted with the rebels. I was—but they’re brainwashed kids strung out on drugs. As for the people of her village, what’s their excuse?
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This seemed a little too much McClelland and not enough Mariatu Kamara, unfortunately. Mariatu's story is one of trauma and home, yet I wish this book had a more authentic and direct voice. I would love to know what the result of this book would have been if Mariatu worked solo on it, or even with a different journalist.
Wow. I read this for the BookRiot 2020 Read Harder challenge 'read a YA non-fiction book' and I'm really glad I did.
The Bite of the Mango is the story of Mariatu Kamara, a young girl who lived an ordinary village life in Sierra Leone before she was ambushed by rebels at age 12. She saw people be burned alive and shot, before boys not much older than her chopped off her hands. Mariatu managed to make it to safety and was transported to Freetown where she received medical care, reunited with her family, and was placed in a cramped amputee camp with hundreds of others in the same position as her. While there it was discovered that she was pregnant and she gave birth to a boy who died from malnutrition before his first birthday. Eventually, she was brought to Canada where she learned English, attended high school and began to share her story with the rest of the world.
The language of The Bite of the Mango is very simple, childlike, but also clear and insightful. Though the language is simple, it serves as a constant reminder that Mariatu is only a child experiencing the worst things a human can go through. She doesn't shy away from the despair and depression she suffered or the times she wanted to die, but the overall feeling of the book is positive, a message of hope. Though all the bad things that happen to Mariatu are spoken of in a matter-of-fact, unflinching manner, there is a focus on the people in Mariatu's life as a way of showing that acts of kindness and love do exist, even in the worst of circumstances.
One of the most astounding things is that later, in Canada, Mariatu mentions giggling with friends at school and I felt such overwhelming happiness that a girl who had been through so much could still have such normal experiences. I believe that Mariatu may have attended my old high school not long after I graduated, which added a personal note for me as well.
The Bite of the Mango is such a heartbreaking and inspiring story, told by a clearly wonderful and compassionate woman, I feel lucky to have read it.
The Bite of the Mango is the story of Mariatu Kamara, a young girl who lived an ordinary village life in Sierra Leone before she was ambushed by rebels at age 12. She saw people be burned alive and shot, before boys not much older than her chopped off her hands. Mariatu managed to make it to safety and was transported to Freetown where she received medical care, reunited with her family, and was placed in a cramped amputee camp with hundreds of others in the same position as her. While there it was discovered that she was pregnant and she gave birth to a boy who died from malnutrition before his first birthday. Eventually, she was brought to Canada where she learned English, attended high school and began to share her story with the rest of the world.
The language of The Bite of the Mango is very simple, childlike, but also clear and insightful. Though the language is simple, it serves as a constant reminder that Mariatu is only a child experiencing the worst things a human can go through. She doesn't shy away from the despair and depression she suffered or the times she wanted to die, but the overall feeling of the book is positive, a message of hope. Though all the bad things that happen to Mariatu are spoken of in a matter-of-fact, unflinching manner, there is a focus on the people in Mariatu's life as a way of showing that acts of kindness and love do exist, even in the worst of circumstances.
One of the most astounding things is that later, in Canada, Mariatu mentions giggling with friends at school and I felt such overwhelming happiness that a girl who had been through so much could still have such normal experiences. I believe that Mariatu may have attended my old high school not long after I graduated, which added a personal note for me as well.
The Bite of the Mango is such a heartbreaking and inspiring story, told by a clearly wonderful and compassionate woman, I feel lucky to have read it.
This is the third time that I have read this book, but it's still really powerful for me to read. I don't really cry at many books, but this one has a lot of emotion in it, and just the fact that it's a true story makes it even more so. I love this book so much, and I think that everyone should at least consider reading this. It's just.... wow.
It is a heart-wrenching story, but the overall message that we can do more and do better for those in need makes it bearable.
There are some terrible atrocities committed during war. As I started reading this book, I was thinking about losing my hands and how sad it would be to never have the sense of touch that comes through your fingers, to never be able to do things with as much ease as you can with a hand that includes an opposable thumb. I am in awe of Mariatu and the way she has coped through the circumstances she's been dealt. I take so much for granted - this book is eye-opening.
Mariatu Kamara was raised in a small rural village in Sierra Leone until the age of twelve. Hiding from rebels, Mariatu was going for food with a group of others when she was caught by the rebels. Forced to watch them torture and kill people she knew, the rebels eventually cut off both her hands and left her. Mariatu survived by going for help, eventually making it to the nearby town of Port Loko, where she was transported to a hospital in Freetown. Mariatu took advantage of any help offered and fought for her own survival and dream and is now a college student in Toronto enrolled in an Assaulted Women's and Children's Counselor/Advocate Program. She is also a UNICEF Special Representative. Her story from her childhood in a rural village living by subsistence farming, through the attacks by the rebels, her journey to Freetown for medical help, her survival there in the refugee camps (along with two other cousins who also lost their hands), and her eventually sponsorship to Canada is told with candour and equanimity. With her attitude towards helping the rest of her family and her country survive this history, she offers hope for the future.