cover image OUT OF WAR: True Stories From the Front Lines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia

OUT OF WAR: True Stories From the Front Lines of the Children's Movement for Peace in Colombia

Sara Cameron, in cooperation with UNICEF. . Scholastic, $15.95 (186pp) ISBN 978-0-439-29721-9

Cameron here collects the poignant stories of nine articulate teenagers who describe the long and diffuse internal war raging in Columbia for over 40 years, in which various armed groups vie for control of land and power. The genesis of the Children's Movement of Peace, created in response to the war, is framed with their personal and agonizing accounts of loss, hope and the understanding that endemic violence must be fought through personal forgiveness as well as through organized efforts against poverty and racism. Juan Elias, one leader of the movement, realizes after his own father's and cousin's murder, "No matter how much you want peace, you take a step toward violence when the war hits you personally." Johemir, whose mother left him to live alone when he was only 10, helps to create art programs so other children can express their sorrow and wishes for peace. The stories display a depth of insight about the limits and possibilities for creating a more peaceful country as well as the fragility of commitment in the face of the ongoing violence and despair. Yet they continue to work against violence because, as Maritza (who lives in violence at home as well as on the streets) put it, "I know that making peace is our only hope." Young adults will find this an inspiring book about the courage of people their own age who have devoted themselves to the cause of ending violence. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)