It Happened On The Way To War: A Marine's Path To Peace (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
First off, I felt an instant connection with the author. He went to UNC Chapel Hill-- I wanted to go there. I went to Rwanda-- he wanted to go there. We were both profoundly impacted by Philip Gourevitch's "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families-- Stories from Rwanda." Of course, the subject of work in Kenya was a big draw for me, since I've been so impacted by the time I've spent there. Even the fact that his mother named him Rye because of the dream Holden Caufield has in "The Catcher in the Rye"--in which he sees his job as keeping the children who are at play in a field of rye from falling off a cliff-- I first heard that image used to describe what youth ministers do. All of this added up to this being a book I couldn't wait to read. For the most part, the book held my attention. It is a little schizophrenic in the way it bounces back and forth between Barcott's role as a Marine intelligence officer in Bosnia and Iraq with his role as the founder of a Kenyan relief organization. However, since that's the chief inner conflict in the book--whether it is possible or even desirable to compartmentalize those two worlds-- the schizo feel of the book actually strengthens it. I would have been okay with Barcott going down that road even a little further. He talks about being drawn to the culture of war because of the darkness inside him, but at the same time wanting to impact the world in a positive way. From a Christian perspective, he's articulating the same struggle Paul expressed in Romans 7. But Barcott isn't a philosopher or a psychologist or a theologian. He's a Marine who did something pretty amazing. He started a charity with the $26 he had in his pocket on the day he was visiting the largest slum in Kenya, and grew it into a world renowned organization that got the attention of the Gates foundation. The flaw of the book is the audiobook version of it. Barcott himself narrates it, which should have been a great thing, but he's got an annoying, halting cadence in which. He pauses, At awkward, Places. It's like someone doing a bad impersonation of William Shatner. Otherwise, this is a great read. Absolutely inspiring. This is a beautifully-written memoir about how one man can make a difference in this world, particularly in a 'participatory development' framework. Barcott told us the story of how he built the Carolina for Kibera (CFK) from scratch, and how this NGO went on to empower youths and promote their leadership to prevent seemingly-perpetual ethnic violence in Kibera. I was particularly impressed by his notion that youths are the present and future leaders. I concur with an idea that the best solution for the community problem have to come primarily from the community itself, a view strongly held by Barcott and his CFK team. It's also such an honor to read about the exceptional spirit and examples of fellow CFK founders, Tabitha and Salim.Truly 5 stars for the story and inspiration, especially on CFK and Kibera's part. However, as ordinary people, personally I don't really enjoy the last few chapters about his military/Marine's compartments of his life and had difficulties apprehending so many military jargons and stories. so that's 4 stars for the book. But don't get me wrong, it still is an inspiring read.
What do You think about It Happened On The Way To War: A Marine's Path To Peace (2011)?
Very Enjoyable. Wish I was younger and could have such an experience.
—loladdf
Very inspiring story though the ghost writer was not very good.
—Shravi
