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Bamboo People

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There is a perception that many children acquire over the course of their education that learning and fun are mutually exclusive ideas. If a book has so much as a smidgen of a fact in it then it's no good to you, right? Fortunately, there are thousands of different kinds of child readers. Some like fantasy. Some like science fiction. Some go in for historical novels. And some like to be taken out of their humdrum lives and given a chance to see how the world works from a different perspective. They may even (gasp, shudder, shudder, gasp) enjoy reading realistic contemporary fiction. Enter "Bamboo People" by Mitali Perkins. I know we've enough books out there to say that this probably isn't the first book on Burmese child soldiers we've seen. It may well be the best, though. Splitting her book between two boys on opposite sides of a war they do not want, Perkins deftly drops us head first into a world we do not know and makes it accessible, understandable, and interesting. In a time when every other novel for kids is just a reiteration of an idea we've seen done a hundred ways before, here we have at least one book that knows that being important and being enjoyable are simply opposite sides of the same coin.

Chiko's life is spent mostly indoors, and it's driving him insane. Ever since his father was arrested and taken by the Burmese armies the boy has been forced to hide in his home. His mother's fear? That he'll be snatched away and forced to serve in the army like other boys his age. But when a risk taken to apply for a teaching position leads instead to his capture, Chiko is forced into the impossible position of aiding his government as a soldier. And though he makes a clever alliance with the smart street urchin Tai, it may only be a matter of time before Chiko is destroyed utterly by his service. Meanwhile, an opposite story is playing out in a Karenni community. Tu Reh is ready to fight for his people against the Burmese oppressors, but his very commitment to his cause is put to the test when he saves a wounded Burmese soldier. That's soldier's name? Chiko. And suddenly two worlds come together, causing both boys to question their lives and assumptions. An author's note and afterword give more information about Burma and what readers can do to improve the situation there.

The problem with a book of this sort is that as an author Ms. Perkins has to deliberately place her heroes in constant danger while at the same time keep the plot just upbeat enough that you're not crushed by despair. So it is that during their time training as soldiers, Chiko and Tai must constantly find ways to outwit their oppressors without going so far as to draw the worst of their ire. You are consistently made aware that at any moment something truly terrible could happen to the boys. At the same time, there's that strange flicker of hope that maybe they'll find a way out of their predicament. It keeps them going. It keeps you going too.

It's interesting then that Ms. Perkins switches the narrative focus halfway through the book. Up until this point you've been wholly enmeshed in Chiko's story. He is your friend on this journey, and to suddenly switch at this point feels harsh. You understand Tu Reh, of course. And as the story continues you may even grow to like him. But I believe that you never feel quite as close to Tu Reh as you feel to Chiko or even Tai. To be fair, Tu Reh is in a much tougher position. Unlike the two Burmese boys he's surrounded by people who care about him (for the most part) and his enemy is clear cut. They, in contrast, are surrounded by people seemingly on their own side who wish them harm. It's no surprise that the Epilogue belongs to Chiko then. He's the one you want to get the last word. Tu Reh's narrative is necessary, but Chiko's is the one you hang your heart on.

As a child I was a fantasy reader. I deliberately avoided any books with realistic tendencies, particularly if I suspected they might be what I dubbed "depressing". So there would be no reading of "Bridge to Terabithia" or "Julie of the Wolves" or any of that for me. It's funny to be a children's librarian now and to realize that while there are plenty of kids out there who share my tendencies, there are plenty more that are looking for something exactly like "Bamboo People". Exciting, tense, often beautiful, and containing a moral without whapping you upside the head with it, Mitali Perkins yet again hits it out of the park. Even the fantasy fans like I was are going to find this an exciting ride. A book that continually keeps you guessing.

Things are dangerous in Burma. When Chiko's father was taken away to prison, he asked Chiko to take care of his mother. So far, Chiko doesn't feel like he's doing a very good job, since he and his mom don't have enough money to pay the rent, eat well or send to support his dad. When Chiko sees an ad for teachers, he's anxious to go apply, since he can read and write in both English and Burmese. If he can get the job, things will improve for him and his mother. When he goes to apply for the job, he discovers that it's a trick and he and all the other "applicants" are rounded up and forced to become boy soldiers. Chiko and a young street boy become unlikely allies.

Tu Reh is a young Karenni boy. Burmese soldiers have forced him and his family out of their home and into a refugee camp across the Thai border. Tu Reh and his best friend, Sa Reh are consumed with anger and they're anxious to exact revenge. Tu Reh's father is a well regarded and peaceful man - when he selects Tu Reh to accompany him on the camp's latest mission, Tu Reh is ecstatic.

Chiko's and Tu Reh's lives intersect at a violent and surprising moment, changing them and their families forever.

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins is an absolutely amazing book! I'm not sure I'll be able to adequately express just how much I loved it and how important I think it is. It's impossible to read this book and not be affected. I felt a range of emotions from anger and sadness to joy and hope. Chiko and Tu Reh are such different characters but I became attached to both of them and rooted for them along the way, especially when their lives came together in such a violent and unexpected way. This book really made me think about the fact that it can be easy to be taught to hate a group of people, but it's much more difficult to hate an individual. It made me think about the way power and greed can corrupt people and ruin the lives of so many. It made me wonder how we can let things like this go on in our world and what can be done about it.

Don't let the YA label of this book fool you. There is much in Bamboo People for adults, as well as children. I learned so much as I read it, and also want to know more now. (I admit to knowing very little about Burma before I read this book.) Mitali Perkins includes several notes in the back of the book and tells readers that in 1989, the military government of Burma changed it's name to the Union of Myanmar, however, the US, the UK and Canada as well as other nations refused to recognize the new name. Not all that long ago, Burma had one of the highest literacy rates in Southeast Asia, but things have been declining there for years. Now, the country is poor with the second worst health system in the world. Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world and these young soldiers are taught to hate ethnic minorities . To learn more about Burma and to find discussion questions for the book, visit [...]

Set in current day Burma, a country the size of Texas. It shares borders with India, China, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand. The Karenni state is on the Thai, Burma border. The Karenni people are being pushed out and killed by the Burmese. Burma has been cited for having the highest number of child soldiers in the world. I learned all of this after reading Bamboo People.

Bamboo People is the kind of fiction that will make one want to seek out the facts. Perkin's has written an eye opening novel for those unfamiliar with what's going on in Burma. The author manages is to educate, while never once forgetting she's telling a story. For many authors this could have easily turned into a story filled with flat characters, relying heavily on facts . But not Perkins, she's a gifted story teller, that comes across on every page.

15 yr old Chiko, is tricked and forced to serve in the Burmese military. Before, Chiko is taken he was living with his mother. His father, a doctor was imprisoned for going against the government. Thanks to his father, Chiko is a smart, well read and independent thinker. He doesn't want to go to war, he wants to teach. Though he must quickly learned to adapt, to survive and make it home.

The captain, the man in charge of kidnapping the young Burmese boys has it in for Chiko. Calling him the teacher with venom. Tai, a young boy from the street quickly attaches himself to Chiko. At first glance Chiko underestimates this boy from the streets, though he quickly learns Tai is smart with a good heart. The first half of Bamboo People is Chiko story. The boy soldiers are of two groups, those who believe in the captain, willingly calling him father and those who don't. Chiko and Tai are in the latter. Perkins is great at the slow build. I easily lost myself in the author's words and Chiko's world. Though I didn't want Chiko's story to end it was still a very smooth transtion to Tu Reh story.

Tu Reh a young Karenni boy watched Burmese soliders burn down his home. Tu Reh longs to pick up a gun and go to war. Finally Tu Reh father invites him on mission to get food and supplies to their people. Tu Reh is forced to decide Chiko's fate when they first meet.

I know this novel is about Chiko and Tu Reh but Tai was my favorite character. There was just something about Tai, that I loved.

And I got to love an author that creates great three dimensional main characters yet still manages to have secondary characters that capture and hold me. Bamboo People is a wonderful novel. Great for readers of any age. 12 up.

I found Ms. Perkins' book to be a fascinating opportunity for readers to enter a world, occupied by youth similar in age to themselves, but characterized by horrible conflict and fear. The two main characters (Chiko and Tu Reh) are youth from opposing sides of the Burmese conflict. Chiko's father was imprisoned as an "enemy of the state" for reading books. Chiko's family is desperate for money so he answers a newspaper ad requesting teachers. The ad is a ruse however and he gets captured and conscripted into the army. Tu Reh is a Karenni refugee who lost his home and village to Burmese soldiers. He is understandably driven to enter the conflict by revenge but the words of his wise father keep him guessing his own intentions. Both main characters have their own internal conflicts, some typical of adolescent youth the world over, which will make them quite relatable for young readers.

Both characters eventually meet up under extraordinary circumstances. As the story comes to its conclusion, readers will see strong similarities between the characters and will be moved by the powerful lesson about war and conflict some of us may possibly have even encountered for ourselves: war makes enemies among people who under different circumstances could be friends. Herein lies the beauty of this book and the hopeful message it inspires.

If you're a teacher reading this review, I implore you to find a way to bring this book into your classroom. There is an in-depth discussion guide you can download as well as a website ([...]) with more information and background as well as links to taking further action in support of the Burmese and Karenni people.

[...]

Burma's repressive military regime has taken a stranglehold over the country by killing and arresting those who opposed its brutal measures. The military has also suppressed members of ethnic groups along the border and forced young Burmese boys into the army to fight the suspected insurgents. These measures directly affected Chiko and Tu Reh, two boys at the center of this new novel about the hardships in modern-day Burma.

Chiko, a smart and gentle child, desperately misses his father, a foreign-trained doctor thrown into prison by the military government. Chiko also falls victim to the military's oppressive means when a falsified job ad leads to his capture and forced labor in the Burmese army. Ironically, his survival ultimately depends on Tu Reh, an ethnic Karenni teenager living in a refugee camp along the Thai border. The Burmese army had burned Tu Reh's village and had brutalized the people, leaving Tu Reh with little tolerance or patience for the young Burmese soldier he found gravely injured in the jungle.

Perkins, a gifted storyteller and careful researcher, gives voice to both Chiko and Tu Reh in consecutive narratives that describe Chiko's training-camp ordeal and Tu Reh's efforts to help support the Karenni resistance. Liberally woven into the story are themes of hope, courage, friendship, and grace, making the novel an enjoyable read despite the grim topic. The book gets top marks for bringing the reader into a country with which relatively few people have any real familiarity or understanding.

Bamboo People is a beautifully written story which provides insightful, first-hand viewpoints of the conflict in Burma through the perspectives of two boys, Chiko and Tu Reh. When the two boys' lives intersect, they realize that despite their different backgrounds and experiences, they are not so different after all. The emotions in this book are palpable, and the hardships that both boys endure are real and haunting. Mitali Perkins does a masterful
job of illustrating the heart-wrenching horrors of the conflict in Burma while keeping the story engaging, hopeful, inspiring, and thought-provoking. I highly recommend it!

I wouldn't normally be drawn to a middle grade/young adult novel set in war-torn India, but Bamboo People is written by Mitali Perkins, and it was available as an audiobook, which makes it easier for me to get interested in a theme that isn't familiar to me.

I've read a couple of Perkins' novels and whether they are about contemporary young women living in America or a Rickshaw Girl, I enjoyed her accurate characterization. That's the hook that kept me interested in Bamboo People as well.

Chiko's father is a political prisoner. He and his mother are struggling financially, and though his mother wants to keep him safe from the military who is rounding up teen boys at all costs, Chiko wants to get a job teaching. He's a good reader, thanks to his father's work with him, and now that the government thinks that the future might lie in educating Burmese boys, not just teaching them to fight, he thinks he might get his wish.

Tu-Reh is a Karenni. He and his village hate the Burmese soldiers for destroying their village. But when he finds a wounded Chiko -- a slight 15-year-old boy, not a soldier -- he has compassion on him and brings him back to his village.

Though these boys are from warring factions, they come to understand and appreciate their similarities.

This definitely feels like a "boy" book to me. But for Perkins' rich writing and empathetic portrayal of the boys on both sides, I might not have gotten through it, even though the story is compelling.

For boys who are obsessed with war, Bamboo People gives a real look a contemporary civil war affecting teenage boys. It's an interesting look at that culture, and I think it would teach privileged entitled American boys the importance and the price of doing what's right. It's not preachy, and that's not the intent of the book, but I have to wonder if after reading a boy would complain that it wasn't fair that he didn't have the newest Xbox game on the day of its release.

Though I've read a lot about Indian culture and society, this book really opened my eyes to the internal strife that the nation is experiencing amidst cultures and classes.

AUDIO NOTES:
Like I said earlier, I think that the fact that I was listening helped me stick with this story. It was an entertaining and worthwhile listen and Johnathan Davis did a good job of reading. And as I've said before, audiobooks are a great alternative for kids who might not love reading, no matter their age.

CONTENT NOTES:
Though this is a story about war, there isn't too much explicit action. There is some death and some talk about killing enemies. However, it's a mature story that is going to be best appreciated by readers 11 and up.

My daughter needed the book for her summer reading assignment. I decided to read it along with her and was very captivated with the story. It opened our eyes to the hardships that these people are encountering as well as opened our hearts. We felt connected to all the characters in the book. Easy read yet peaks curiosity to learn more. Enjoyed it!!!

This book provides a glimpse into the world of the war in Burma, and young boys struggles in trying to balance their families, and their desire to become soldiers and fight for their country, and the friendships they make along the way.

My daughter spent two summers working with Karenni refugees at a place called the Bamboo School just inside the Thai border. The heart-wrenching stories she learned about the children at the school would bring an adult to their knees. Yet each day these children get up, go to school and move on with their lives under the watchful eye and loving guidance of MoMo Kat, a Australian woman who has literally given them her life. You can learn more about this particular school/orphanage/rescue operation at [...]
Comparing this book to the things my daughter saw/heard, the author has done an admirable job of bringing the gut-wrenching choices young people on both sides of this conflict must face without dwelling on the violence that accompanies the daily life of Karenni and Burmese people.

We are a global community. We need to start educating our children about their global neighbors. This book would be a great start. It should be required reading in every middle school as an integrated curriculum assignment between Social Studies and Reading. The author's website [...] provides teacher guides and other tools to assist in using this book in the classroom.