Burma Boy (Ulverscroft Large Print) - Hardcover

Bandele, Biyi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847820948 ISBN 13: 9781847820945

Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd, 2008

Synopsis

It s winter 1944 and the Second World War is entering its most crucial stage. A few months ago Ali Banana was apprenticed to a whip-wielding blacksmith in his rural hometown; now he s behind enemy lines, trekking through the Burmese jungle, a private in Thunder Brigade. He is fourteen years old. ed by the scarred, charismatic Sergeant Damisa, Thunder Brigade has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. But the jungle is a treacherous place, riddled with Japanese snipers, infection and disease. As torrential rains turn the landscape into a mud-riven death trap, the losses mount up, Ali s sanity falters and troubling questions arise. Who, for instance, is Kingi Jogi ? What does his empire stand for? And what does it all mean for Banana, the men of Thunder Brigade and for their inspirational general? he general is history's Orde Wingate, the raw-onion-chomping, Bible-wielding maverick genius who was infamous for regaling guests in his home with accounts of great biblical military heroes while completely naked. With faultless characterisation Biyi Bandele has taken real-life battles and historical figures and woven a story that is moving, horrific and always bri

About this title

Review:

"excellent and moving account"
-- Sunday Express

'...a fresh perspective on the terrible Burma campaign...it's a departure
from the norm, leavening the gruesome depictions of combat with jokes,
proverbs and stories...' -- The Financial Times

'...so fantastic, filled with evocative detail... and like Catch 22 was
funny and humane...' -- Louise Doughty, Radio 5 Simon Mayo Bookclub

'a terrific story that needs to be told' -- Joel Morris, Radio Five Simon Mayo Bookclub

'haunting and funny... succeeds in not only in taking on a difficult
subject, but in capturing characters who are agonisingly real' -- New Statesman

'Haunting and humorous, it's a fascinating insight into a world of
conflict from a Nigerian point of view, illuminating a time and place that
has almost been stricken from the history books'
-- The Herald

'It's important we remember these stories... I never knew Africans
were in Burma fighting.. I enjoyed the book' -- Lemn Sissay, Radio Five Simon Mayo Bookclub

'a deeply moving, skillfully written and beautifully judged piece
of story telling... outstanding'
-- Christine Douglass, Radio 5 Simon Mayo Bookclub

`What's invigorating about Bandele's novel is his fine detail, and
the fresh perspective of the Africans who took part.'
-- Observer

`tense.'
-- Vogue: Rev'd Charlotte Sinclair.

Book Description:

An intense, moving and funny tale of African soldiers in World War II, the first novel to bring narrative light to this neglected history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1847820948
• ISBN 13: 9781847820945
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256