This book is dark and disturbing. It left me with a sense of hopelessness and despair. Despite feeling perhaps enlightened to the situations that children in Africa may face, I wish I had not read this book. The description says it's about the "wisdom and resilience of children", which is exceptionally misleading. It makes the book out to sound like it has some sort of positive spin on the atrocities these children face, but the actual stories on the pages don't reflect this at all (other than perhaps "what language is that", but that's a stretch). Beyond that, the author rambles on about unnecessary details that drag the story down. Don't buy this book unless you enjoy reading about how cruel the human race can be to children and how little their lives and opinions are valued.

As I read some of the stories it really hit home what happens in other countries. I see stories in the newspaper and on tv about social and political unrest and because we live here in canada don't really understand. "What Language is that" showed how much kids are kids, how they want to play with their friends but how all of the other stuff gets in the way , how religion and language and politics and adults can make it all so hard. Hard to understand why you can't just be a kid ."My Parents Bedroom made me cry, the mother trys to hide herself and the husband protects her to the best of his ability. The kids don't understand what is going on . The whole racial and religious persecution is horrible. The way the mother gives her life for her children and husband to live broke my heart.I don't know if there will ever be a time when this kind of brutality ends in parts of the world. This book was a real eye opener for me

This book is comprised of 5 stories of various lengths. They all deal with children trying to grown up in Africa and some of the horrors they are being exposed to. Like children everywhere, they deserve a safe place to live and grow. With numerous civil wars and "ethnic cleansings" they have been exposed to and threatened with things that no child should every have to deal with.

Mr. Akpan has presented the stories of these children in such a way that while the attrocities are clear, he has also shown compassion and even hope.

I really can't do justice to this book without telling you in detail of each story, which would then go on for pages and pages.. I highly recommend that you get a copy of this book and read these stories for yourself. I had heard of some of the things that were happening, yet I really never stopped for long to think of how they would affect the children involved. Now I look at my children and say many words of thanks that they wake up every morning safe.

amazing book. an eye opener. The author tells the five stories from the persepctive of the child involved. Very disturbing. This book will shatter you out of your dreamworld here in the Americas and let you know what is really going on in the world particularly Africa. The events are all ongoing or recent. The author has a keen mind of how a child would experience this which to my mind takes some talent. Seriously this can give you nightmares but must be read. We cannot remain complacent. I feel every teenager should have this as requried reading in Grade 9. This spoiled generation needs to know what time it is and count our blessings.