Bamboo People
by Mitali Perkins, Charlesbridge, 2010
Oh My Goodness!
Mitali Perkins has written something here that is so fine, so rare, so beautiful, that I am loath to move on to another book too quickly because I want to think and remember and savor this exquisite story.
Chiko only wants to become a teacher. His father is a political prisoner of the Burmese government. The army conscripts Chiko, forcing him into service. Studious by nature, he is unprepared for this brutal life but a friendship with a savvy, streetwise conscript named Tai, saves him while he gains strength to endure the random cruelty of the captain who oversees his unit.
Tu Reh is a Karenni teen who has seen his life, his home and village disrupted and destroyed by the very army that Chiko is now a part of. Their lives intersect and each of them must survive the ugly hand that fate has dealt them.
This is a beautiful tale of faith and hope. I am pondering now the best way to booktalk it. Kids MUST find this book.
Reading time: 2 hrs
Pages read: 272