What do You think about Beasts Of No Nation (2006)?
I love the presentation of the character's voice in this one. It takes a little getting used to, but it managed to keep the character human and identifiable in the midst of the dehumanization all around him. It's really worth preserving, since I think his view makes the book. That, and the matter of fact delivery in the face of unimaginable yet all too factual horror. It's hard to imagine how something like this could be written without being manipulative or exploitative, but Iweala manages it without a problem. It's pretty impressive.
—David
It's hard to say I enjoyed this book. Beasts of No Nation tells a horrible and brutal story that really makes you think of how unfortunate a child can be. Agu, is a young child soldier caught in a civil war in an unnamed West African Country. Agu's journey from orphan to remorseless killer is not for the faint of heart. The book does not hold punches and often goes into descriptive detail of murders and rape.At 142 pages the book is brief but powerful. I found it hard to put down especially in the early chapters as Agu is forced into acts of murder and violence and how he eventually comes to enjoy them. At the same time we see flashbacks into Agu's past where we see a kid who loves to read and learn, and is being brought up in a loving family. This transformation makes for an interesting and resonant read.My only issue with the book is as a story teller Iweala did not seem to have an end in sight. The book has numerous heartbreaking and at times gut wrenching moments that really moved me and pulled me deeper into the story. However the books loses steam at the halfway mark. Agu and his group begin to basically wander and camp out in abandoned towns and end up digging trenches. Until a mutiny forces the group to begin a march to an unknown destination. At this point Agu decides to simply walk away and wanders off away from his group. While this was impossible for him to do prior to the mutiny (or at least he thought) it is very anticlimactic. The final chapter sees Agu at some type of UN refugee camp and while this is a happy ending for the character it is not the kind of ending I felt the book was building up to.
—Juan Rojas
This is a book that punches. It is not a book for the faint hearted. It is savagely horrific, harrowingly heartbreaking, violently visceral and chillingly claustrophobic.With these terms, you might wonder why I rate it five stars. The answer is because it is a tale that needs to be told.My life is comfortable, yet, I complain about the stress of my fast paced job, the dust that gathers on the floors because I have little time to clean, the meals I eat out because I am too tired to cook, and the fact that there are too few hours and too much to do.Then, when reading Beasts of No Nation, bitter, cold water hits my face with the reality that I should stop whining and be grateful for my many blessings.Agu is a young boy uprooted, torn and thrown into a violent African civil war. His village is destroyed and his father is killed. His mother and sister were taken by a UN truck to a safer place, yet Agu never knows if they made it to safety.When Agu is beaten out of his hiding place, he has no choice but to join the cold, cruel, evil Commandant who leads a raggedy band of soldiers.The author vividly shows the underbelly and violence of civil war where the elusive enemy hacks and kills senselessly.
—Linda Lipko
