In the Shadow of Death: Growing Up During the Liberian Civil War

Hans Giplaye

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1457514435 ISBN 13: 9781457514432

Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC, 2012

It all started on December 24, 1989. The debris from explosions was landing closer and closer to me. I saw people running and quickly joined them. As I ran from the gunfire, a grenade exploded nearby, and the sound of machine guns could be heard, as well as more explosions. Diving into a pile of dirt, there was momentary silence. I began to crawl toward a burned concrete house through the mix of bullet shells, debris, and blood and body parts. In the distance a mother and child collapsed as I crawled into the building. The sound from the machine guns and rocket grenades fill the air like thunder or a hurricane about to make landfall. But even in the midst of this heavy artillery, the sound that resonated the most was that of the human voice, particularly the cry of women and children. HANS GIPLAYE was born in Liberia in January 1980, and immigrated to the Ivory Coast as a refugee in 1991. He lived in refugee camps between the Ivory Coast and Ghana before coming to the United States in early 1999. Hans attended Suffolk County Community College on Long Island, NY before transferring to Middlesex Community College in Lowell, MA where he earned an Associate Degree in Nursing. He moved to Grand Rapids, MI and in 2006 graduated with a Nursing Degree from Ferris State University. In 2004 Hans established a nonprofit organization called ACARE HUMAN SERVICES, which help meet the educational, health and socio-economic needs of war victims, particularly the women and children of Liberia. Hans lives in Grand Rapids. He continues his commitment to nursing and helping the sick and vulnerable. All profit made from book sale will be donated to ACARE HUMAN SERVICES, to help meet the needs of war victims.