A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER

check out our book club discussion

update: 12/29/07
just goes to show how powerful storytelling can be. i've never considered myself worldly. i enjoy other cultures' languages, music, and food, but i've always managed to shut out all discernment of their trials and turmoils.

but as i read this book about a boy in sierra leone, i suddenly couldn't turn my head away from its realities. along with the other book club members, i came to have a personal interest in the recently held august elections. (i had always touted myself as being anti-politics as well, which really meant i didn't care to understand what politics entail and why they play such a critical role in the workings of a country.)

and then what really put me in a tizzy was the realization that i was actually affected emotionally. so much so that i was prompted to not only really 'see' this country and its people for the first time in my life, i wanted to DO something for the people. i wanted to DO something for the children. so, i DID.

(a post on our book club site)

Ana Opulencia wrote at 9:31am on December 8th, 2007:
ok, so i'm flitting back for a moment to reference our previous book, memoirs of a boy soldier. i just wanted to share something with y'all. may i just say what a pleasant surprise it was for me to have found an option to give directly to sierra leone's children this year, via christian children's fund. this non-profit organization offers donors the opportunity to pick from a catalog of gifts that address very specific needs around the world. well, i have donated some funds to provide a mango and citrus orchard for a school in sierra leone. i'm hopeful that by God's grace, my gift will in fact benefit some of sierra leone's children. i'm not sure what happens to donor funds in the event that many, many people choose a particular gift to give. how many mango and citrus orchards can sierra leone hold? how many schools does sierra leone have? anyway, i hope my bit of news prompts others to take stock of their many blessings and feel moved to share with those less fortunate.