One Day the Soldiers Came - Charles London [120]
—Ishmael Beah, author of A Long Way Gone
“Charles London has somehow managed to write a book about children in war that is not sentimental, not maudlin, not shrill, and certainly not preachy. Instead, One Day the Soldiers Came is an unblinking account of a peculiar human reality that extends even down to the littlest of us—namely that we, adults and children alike, are a species of relentless survivors, equally capable of committing unspeakable horrors or noble acts of altruism, sometimes both on the same day, in order to endure. It must have been a difficult task to face down such contradictions in an eight-year-old child, for instance, but London has done so in a wise and captivating story.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“By taking us into the world of innocent children torn apart by war, Charles London brings an uncomfortable truth to life. This book is often difficult reading, but attention must be paid.”
—Ambassador Richard Holbrooke
“By serving as our eyes, ears, and legs in some of the most troubled places in the world, Charles London brings us into realms of experience that we would prefer, in our weaker moments, to ignore. The stories told by these children, however difficult they may be for us to read, are essential to our understanding of the world today. And essential to our humanity as well; more than once during the reading of this book, I was compelled to get up from my chair, walk down the hall, and give my children a hug.”
—Ben Fountain, author of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara
“An eye-opening exposé on the permanently scarred children of war in ‘situations where violence and hardship are the norm.’…Thankfully, London offers positive updates on several of the youth. But readers will never forget the physical and mental damage inflicted upon their developing minds. Neither sentimental nor patronizing, these are harsh, numbing experiences. Searing and heartbreaking.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Credits
Maps by Amy Barrett
Cover design by Milan Bozic
Cover photograph by Art Wolfe/Getty Images
Copyright
ONE DAY THE SOLDIERS CAME. Copyright © 2007 by Charles London. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition October 2007 ISBN 9780061759956
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Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Maps
1 "Innocent in the Ways of the World"
2 "Then He Lined Us Up"
3 "We Can't Stay Here"
4 "I Am Getting Used to Living Here"
PHOTOGRAPHIC INSERTS
5 "The Things I've Done"
6 "Surviving