Soldiers of Light - Hardcover

Bergner, Daniel

3.97

32 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0713997478 ISBN 13: 9780713997477

Publisher: Allen Lane, 2004

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In 1991, civil war broke out in Sierra Leone; in 1999 peace was declared and the British soldiers who had entered the country acclaimed as heroes. The war had lead to thousands of mutilations, and yet the reasons behind it and the fates of those involved remained hidden in a land of startling beauty and brutality. Here, the stories are told: the mercenary pilot who gives his money to the people; the child soldier and sometime cannibal; an amputee who lost his hands saving his daughter; the medical student who believes in magic; the Western outsiders hoping to rebuild the country, from American missionaries to British troops. Dark, moving and ultimately hopeful, this is a deep and beautifully written book.

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Review:

Soldiers of Light is one of the best books I've read in years. It's harrowing yet deeply moving. -- Sunday Herald (Glasgow), March 21, 2004

Bergner draws us into this land and people... knowing these stories makes us better, richer and more intelligent
human beings. -- Chicago Tribune

Bergner has undertaken a huge, ghastly task... beautifully
written with such intelligence that you
will not pull away from it. -- LA Times

Bergner's journey is arduous, dangerous and brave - a journey in which both author and reader are irrevocably changed. -- Aminatta Forna, The Sunday Times, March 28, 2004

In the finest Orwellian tradition, Soldiers of Light will discomfit readers across the political spectrum. -- Boyd Tonkin, The Independent

Synopsis:

In 1991, civil war broke out in Sierra Leone; in 1999 peace was declared and the British soldiers who had entered the country acclaimed as heroes. The war had lead to thousands of mutilations, and yet the reasons behind it and the fates of those involved remained hidden in a land of startling beauty and brutality. Here, the stories are told: the mercenary helicopter pilot; the child soldier and sometime cannibal; an amputee; the medical student who believes in magic; the Western outsiders hoping to rebuild the country, from American missionaries to British troops.

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