Burma Boy in Around the World in 80 Books

Dec 21, 2013 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In The King's Rifle by Biyi Bandele, we are taken into the maddening world of World War II African soldiers who fought for the British against the Japanese in Burma. These soldiers were part the Allied Special Forces, known as Chindits, named after the Burmese mythical winged lion. While this was a diverse group of soldiers, little is known about the African soldiers and their contributions to the war effort. The story also centers on the coming-of-age of Ali Banana.

Ali Banana, a thirteen year-o In The King's Rifle by Biyi Bandele, we are taken into the maddening world of World War II African soldiers who fought for the British against the Japanese in Burma. These soldiers were part the Allied Special Forces, known as Chindits, named after the Burmese mythical winged lion. While this was a diverse group of soldiers, little is known about the African soldiers and their contributions to the war effort. The story also centers on the coming-of-age of Ali Banana.

Ali Banana, a thirteen year-old, who is indentured as apprentice to a cruel blacksmith, decides on a whim to follow his older friends as they march off to join the British to fight a war they know little about. Ali's superior know that he is underage, but they are not aware how young he really is and is soon shipped off to be trained in India in preparation of being dropped behind enemy lines in the Burma jungle. While Ali is a fictional character, the horrors of war we witness through his eyes are all based on factual events.

The author's background as a playwright is evident as the novel reads like a play with dialogue setting the scenes for us. The scenes were played out in my mind as if I were watching a play. One of the most effective uses of dialogue in the book is in ordinary conversations among the men as they wait for the nightly attacks from the Japanese. Through these conversations we learn of the differences among the West Africans that are part of the Chindits, in their religion and tribal differences. The author also addresses the issues of race and class that existed during the time period, but does it in an implicit manner.

But this is primarily a military story and the author has done his research on the techniques and cruelties from both the British and Japanese. I enjoyed reading about this lesser known piece of history but I believe having more historical background incorporated into the storyline would have enhanced the reading experience.

I recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and military history. Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories will also be interested in the learning how Ali learns about the larger world and becomes a man.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
April 21, 2009 ...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Tony rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Like most Americans, I know almost nothing about the Burmese theater in World War II. (However, many years ago I did read George McDonald Fraser's excellent memoir of it, Quartered Safe Out Here, so I suppose I do know more than most.) This slender book is set mostly in that theater and, inspired by the author's father's own service in Burma as part of the King's African Rifles, seeks to both remind the reader of its relevance and the role of the many West African troops (mostly Nigerian) who we Like most Americans, I know almost nothing about the Burmese theater in World War II. (However, many years ago I did read George McDonald Fraser's excellent memoir of it, Quartered Safe Out Here, so I suppose I do know more than most.) This slender book is set mostly in that theater and, inspired by the author's father's own service in Burma as part of the King's African Rifles, seeks to both remind the reader of its relevance and the role of the many West African troops (mostly Nigerian) who were sent there to fight on behalf of the Allied forces.

The result is a bit of an odd duck -- more a series of sketches than a fully realized narrative. The book is littered with nuggets of history, research, and championing that, while interesting don't feel quite like they belong. So, for example, we learn enough intriguing details about "Janan" (General) Wingate that one's interest is perhaps piqued enough to go seek out biographies such as Christopher Sykes's Orde Wingate and Trevor Royle's Order Wingate: Irregular Soldier. Or we learn the technical aspects of jungle siegecraft or ambuscade. But at the heart of the book is 13-year-old soldier Farabiti "Ali Banana" whose adventures paint a sketch of the trials and tribulations faced by young soldiers like the author's father.

Through him, we follow the recruitment, training, and deployment of the West African Rifles to Burma as part of the "Chindit" forces sent to harass the Japanese rear lines. He and his fellows in D-Section represent a cross-section of Nigerians who encounter the numbing brutality of jungle warfare, endless siege, and sudden bursts of terror. Each character has their own tic or distinctive trait, but they're sketched too briefly to really register. Instead, we get scattered scenes which convey the broader feeling of confusion and comradeship the war induces. For example, the descriptions of the nightly Japanese attacks on the fortified base known as "White City" are highly effective and act as a small scale foreshadowing of Dien Bien Phu and Khe Sahn.

Ultimately, while the book is too impressionistic for my taste, it did whet my appetite to learn more about the Chindits in general, and the West African contribution in particular. One interesting aspect to the book is the language, which is peppered with phonetic Nigerian pidgin English, which, while sometimes hard to decipher, helps give the story some flavor. ...more

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Mar 02, 2014 Terri FL marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: international-africa, war-times, novel

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Feb 10, 2024 Curlysue marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

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