Soldier Boy

Fourteen-year-old Ricky Richard Anywar feels Ugandan sunshine vanish when guerrillas drag him from his village in 1989, shove a rifle into his trembling hands, and march him straight into Joseph Kony’s brutal civil war—an era that still scorches conversations about Child Rights and Political Justice across Gulu and beyond. Nights echo with mortar fire; days train Ricky to fight, yet his fierce imagination keeps plotting escape routes through elephant-grass shadows. Two decades later, fictional Samuel—scarred symbol of thousands Ricky later rescues through Friends of Orphans—steps onto the page, haunted by flashbacks, unsure whether any human promise beats a rebel order. Debut author Keely Hutton, guided by Ricky himself, hurls readers into sweat-drenched ambushes, heart-pounding dashes through mahogany forests, and bittersweet rehabilitation camps where hope grows like stubborn acacia shoots after fire. Educators will seize vivid Common Core tie-ins; students will debate courage versus survival; faith leaders will find raw fuel for lessons on forgiveness that crackle hotter than a campfire. One searing question still prowls the northern plains: can Samuel trust a future that once betrayed him? Tap the blue ➕ to Save to List for later inspiration, or hit the bold arrow to Learn More and connect your classroom, youth group, or congregation to this relentless journey from captivity to healing.