The Bite Of Mango Read Free Books and Download eBooks
As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands. Stumbling through the countryside, Mariatu miraculously survived. The sweet taste of a mango, her first food after the attack, reaffirmed her desire to live, but the challenge of clutching the fruit in her bloodied arms reinforced the grim new reality that stood before her. With no parents or living adult to support her and living in a refugee camp, she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown. As told to her by Mariatu, journalist Susan McClelland has written the heartbreaking true story of the brutal attack, its aftermath and Mariatu’s eventual arrival in Toronto where she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage, astonishing resilience and hope.
Lexile Measure: 800L (What's this?)
Paperback: 216 pages
Publisher: Annick Press (September 30, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1554511585
ISBN-13: 978-1554511587
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #54,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #11 in Books > Teens > Biographies > Social Activists #17 in Books > Teens > Education & Reference > History > Military #34 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Social Activists
Age Range: 12 - 14 years
Grade Level: 9 - 12
A tragic story, but one of hope. Here is a woman who in two brutal moments experienced the full tragedy of war. First, she was raped by an older neighbor man when she was only 12. Then she and her cousins had their hands chopped off by the rebels. She flees these events and is a refugee of the war in the capital of Freetown. By a miracle and some help from foreigners, she emigrates to Great Britain and then Canada where she learns how to read and become an adult. She finds forgiveness for those who raped and damaged her.This is a short and easy story to read. It shows how war kills and mutilates the civilian population. It is not as good as "A Long Way Gone", but it is an interesting story of forgiveness.
I was introduced to this book through the book "the End of Life Book Club." Having read "Long Way Gone" by Ishmeal Beah a few years ago, it was interesting to know that the author of this book and he had once met. This book is from the opposite experience tho both were children - he a child forced to be a rebel soldier in Sierra Leone during the 1990's and Mariatu Kamara a female child amputee survivor of these soldiers. Theirs is a country so different from mine that it is hard to imagine a life of such poverty and harsh treatment much less the constant fear of being attacked by merciless soldiers. You will find this an inspirational and eye-opening book. It made me extremely grateful for the comfortable middle-class life I have led in the United States. It is good that one of the many angels Mariatu found along her journey led her to write this account of her young life so that those of us much more fortunate can appreciate and learn from the struggles of poverty and the cruelties that the many less fortunate have faced.
This book is a compelling read. Mariatu's story is at once heart-rending and rewarding. What courage she must have had! The book reads like a novel. I especially found the section with her living in the refugee camp and amputee camp fascinating. Although the book is not particularly well-written, I found it informative and inspirational nonetheless.
Bite of the Mango is a good book. I appreciated what appeared to be a very honest story of what happened to this victim of the civil war in Sierra Leone. I felt that she gave a three dimensional picture of herself. She was a girl who was, at times, incredibly courageous and at other times very fearful. As a reader, I felt that I was made to understand both sides of her personality. I don't think that the book's purpose was to present explanations for the cause of the civil war and the incredible amount of savagery. But, the lack of background information was, for me, a shortcoming. I read this book in combination with Ishmael Beah's memoir, A Long Way Gone, and I would recommend reading the two books together.
My eyes continue to be widely opened as I read this book and ones similar that tell about cultures and lives that are so incredibly different from mine. These people are real survivors - at least the ones who can live that long. And what is even more amazing to me is that Sierra Leone is really a rich country - at least in natural resources - and the greed and arrogance of others have stolen this country's birthright. They should be taken to Sierra Leone and made to live out in the wilderness in the conditions that they have subjected the natives to. It reminded me of an old quote, "The World's gone mad."
I have found several autobiographies by individuals who have survived some of the worst atrocities in the world to be somewhat egotistical in that their stories border on fiction [can you remember whole conversations when you were 3 and 4 years old?]. However, Ms. Kamara's story was very realistic, without a grandiose sense of self. Her story rings of true honesty, portraying her in a most realistic way: she tells us her faults as well as her ability to survive and be insightful. It was a quick read [one night!], mostly because I found myself unable to put it down. I would have liked to understand a bit more about the Canadian family and their motives for basically abandoning her [even though it appears to have been for the best] - yet it appears that even Ms. Kamara herself is not completely sure why. What her story has done for me is to read more about Sierra Leone and its history and wars - which is what I feel any good autobiography should do - inspire the reader to find out more.
I read about this book in "The End Of Life Book Club". This is the story of Mariatu who had lived a life of poverty in Sierra leone. She tells us the story of her village where she tells us she had been happy. However at the age of twelve, she is raped by an older man. In this same time frame, news of rebels sweep her area, and the people would hide in the bush for days, weeks, and months. Finally, she and her family are caught, and Mariatu ends with her hands cut off by rebels after watching her village burned and people killed.In her book, written with a co- author, Mariatsu asks that we bear witness to the war, to the poverty, and to the need in Sierra Leone. She doesn't crow about her own courage, although she is extraordinarily brave. She doesn't stoop to the maudlin. She shares her own times of darkness and depression when she judges herself coming short by her own measure; although not by mine.Finally she offers us the chance to bear witness.
I found the book hard to follow as if someone had transcribed it incorrectly in English. The book did not flow well to me and left a lot of important parts out not giving a full understanding of her experience. I loved the book A Long Way Gone and decided to read this as a follow up to hear one of the victim's stories but I had a hard time finishing this book. It just wasn't a good read.
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