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Beneath the Darkening Sky
by
Majok Tulba
When the rebels come to Obinna's village, they do more than wreak terror for one night. Lining the children up in the middle of the village, they measure them against the height of an AK-47. Those who are shorter than the gun are left behind. Those who are taller are taken. Obinna and his older brother Akot find themselves the rebel army's newest recruits.
But while Akot a...more
But while Akot a...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
July 2nd 2012
by Penguin Books Australia
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Interesting to read this book, it identifies issues that are current in present-day Africa. I found the story involving enough for me to want to finish it, however, you really feel the jump from the voice in the first chapter to the much more grown-up voice from the second chapter, even though there was no jump in time. The horrific incidents that ensue are told sometimes dispassionately and with some nod to melodrama, but lacking real emotional attachment. I found the story could've finished qu...more
I learnt about this title from a brief interview with Get Reading organiser Cheryl Akyl and Majok Tulba and was immediately interested. When Tulba was nine the Sudanese Armed Forces invaded his village and murdered many its people, including members of Majok's family. Separated from his parents during the attack, Majok fled the village with his younger brother, and other boys too small to be forced into the SAF. He spent most of his time moving between refugee camps along the border of South Sud...more
Obinna's life of tending goats in a small village in Sudan comes crashing around his ears one night when rebels enter the village looking for blood and new recruits to fight in the ongoing civil war. The rebels determine potential recruits by measuring the height of young boys against that of an AK-47. Those taller than the AK-47 are rounded up and taken from the village and those shorter are spared.
What makes Beneath The Darkening Sky amazing is that Australian Sudanese refugee Majok Tulba is w...more
What makes Beneath The Darkening Sky amazing is that Australian Sudanese refugee Majok Tulba is w...more
What a great Chrisy present - Thanks Carl!!
Just like Jal's 'War child' and Deng's 'They poured fired on us from the sky', Majok Tulba takes us into the lives of the million of child soldiers who are forced to fight a war that they never started. Although this is not actually Tulba's real story, he illustrates so well of what consequences are faced when the rebels comes to town and you taller than an AK47. How age is not defined by the year you were born in, instead how many bodies you have kill...more
Just like Jal's 'War child' and Deng's 'They poured fired on us from the sky', Majok Tulba takes us into the lives of the million of child soldiers who are forced to fight a war that they never started. Although this is not actually Tulba's real story, he illustrates so well of what consequences are faced when the rebels comes to town and you taller than an AK47. How age is not defined by the year you were born in, instead how many bodies you have kill...more
Beneath the Darkening Sky tells the horrifying story of the life of Obinna. One night the rebels come to Obinna's village to wreak havoc; burning huts, randomly beheading the men and lining up the children, taking anyone higher than the size of an AK-47. Obinna and his brother Akot find themselves taken to join the revolution. Akot seems to take to training but Obinna refuses to really join the rebels, while he has been taken he never really accepts their ideals. It was a soldier called Priest t...more
I discovered this book on a list of 50 books you can't put down, and it was definitely worthy of the list. While it's fiction, it's based on some truths. The author himself was almost forced down the path of the main character, but he was too small and not picked to go with the soldiers.
The story follows Obinna, who's taken by rebels at age 11 and forced to become a child soldier in an uprising against the government. It's superbly written, gripping, raw and utterly heart wrenching. This book is...more
The story follows Obinna, who's taken by rebels at age 11 and forced to become a child soldier in an uprising against the government. It's superbly written, gripping, raw and utterly heart wrenching. This book is...more
Interesting idea, I wanted to find out more about the situation and the practicalities of life for these child soldiers.
Whilst there was some detail, it was lacking and didn't reveal a whole lot beyond the initial facts.
The characters are largely underdeveloped and the main character changes significantly but the changes aren't totally explained and seem to come out of the blue.
You can't help but be drawn into the story, but ultimately there's not really enough payoff for putting yourself throug...more
Whilst there was some detail, it was lacking and didn't reveal a whole lot beyond the initial facts.
The characters are largely underdeveloped and the main character changes significantly but the changes aren't totally explained and seem to come out of the blue.
You can't help but be drawn into the story, but ultimately there's not really enough payoff for putting yourself throug...more
It was a surreal experience to read this book straight after Jon Doust’s novel To the Highlands. Doust’s engaging tale is the story of a privileged young man who loses his way in life. He gets packed off to the New Guinea Highlands where he has a great time proving his warped sense of manhood, and pays a penalty that most of us in western society might say he did not deserve even though he brought it on himself.
Majok Tulba’s novel, by contrast, is the story of Obinna, a boy soldier recruited int...more
Majok Tulba’s novel, by contrast, is the story of Obinna, a boy soldier recruited int...more
This book is pretty full on and can be gruesome, but still could not put it down! It seems very much that the author has been in a similiar situation although he states it's only fiction. This book is one of the "50 books you can not put down", at times I didn't want to read on, but your curiousity gets the better of you. I cried and laughed and felt really sorry for the characters. But there's a reminder in there about other countries and how they live and in the end it's a little positive.
Very brutal and confronting story about the life of child soldiers in Sudan. I heard the author, Majok Tulba, speak at the Brisbane Writers Festival, where he said that his editor had encouraged him to take out some of the more graphic and brutal scenes so it wasn't too confronting for a western audience. Given what is still in the book, I shudder to think what was taken out!
Not one for the squeamish, but a very real look at the life of Sudanese children recruited to the rebel army. This is not...more
Not one for the squeamish, but a very real look at the life of Sudanese children recruited to the rebel army. This is not...more
This story was written on two levels, there is the story of the kidnapping and brutalisation of the child soldiers, however, there is also a level which is far more gentle and poetic. The story looks at the outer deeds of the soldiers but also tells the inner thoughts of Obinna, the main character. I thought the book was beautifully written, which is extraordinary considering the content
A gripping, confronting and explicitly related story of a boy stolen by rebels from a village in the Sudan, his survival, what he witnessed and how he evolved to be "one of them". The book explicitly describes the savagery and violence of the rebels and the fear that ruled their lives. Some of the scenes are quite horrible in their description, which causes the emotions experienced by the characters to seep into you. I've been thinking a lot about it since I finished it and need to move on to a...more
Wow. An absolutely horrendous story of what happens to young boys when they are turned into soldiers in Africa. Harrowing yet somehow beautiful, this is an important read, especially for those of us with new Australians from Africa in our communities.
Beneath the Darkening Sky is disturbing, brutal and tragic. It's also beautifully written and perfectly weighted. I read every word of this book. It tells the truth in a way that transcends the fictional nature of the novel. Possibly not for everyone, but I loved it.
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To read this book is like witnessing something you know your eyes can't bear to see, but not being able to tear your eyes away...
The story that unfolds within Beneath the Darkening Sky was so incredibly riveting despite the difficult subjects dealt with throughout the narrative. The written word is beautifully simplistic as it presents an unyielding raw truth to the story. Whilst the story is harrowing, it has even more of emotional impact due to the reality of what the author and people of Afri...more
Jul 08, 2012
Róisín
marked it as to-read
looking forward to reading this. Introduced to the author through a Financial Review article. Described as simplistic writing but brutally honest. We shall see.
Heartwrenching, as it is happening over there. I wish this was mandoratory reading in high schools.
A story that puts you in a new perspective - one that you will revolt at.
Apr 22, 2013
David McLean
added it
An extraordinary insight into the life of child soldiers.
Engaging, horrific, beautifully written, confronting. It's subject matter that needs to be addressed, but it's uncomfortable and frightening to read. A tremendous book that should be read: a too true story.
One of those books which I needed to put down frequently during the reading and remind myself to breath. It is brutal, it is harsh and unfortunately much of it is based on true experiences. Tulba was woven the tales he heard, the things he saw with his own experience to create this amazing book. Read it slowly.
A must read for anyone living in a city or town where we are lucky enough to be able to take refugees from Africa or elsewhere. Read this before making judgments about who and why we should accept into Australia.
AM to review @ www.GoodReadingGuide.com
May 17, 2013
Colleen
marked it as to-read
May 13, 2013
Carol
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Nicky Sleep
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Simon Lual
added it
Apr 30, 2013
Nicole
marked it as to-read
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Majok Tulba lives in Western Sydney with his wife and children. He is CEO of the charity SudanCare; has had a film as a finalist at Tropfest; and has won a NSW Premier's/ CAL Literary Centre Fellowship.
More about Majok Tulba...
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