Bamboo People ~ Mitali Perkins

This coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma. Narrated by two teenage boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of the many ethnic minorities in Burma, Bamboo People explores the nature of violence, power, and prejudice as seen through the eyes of child soldiers and refugees.
Chiko, a studious and peaceful Burmese boy whose father has been seized by the government for his liberal views, is conscripted into the Burmese army. Tu Reh, an angry Karenni boy whose famil’s home and bamboo fields have been destroyed by Burmese soldiers, is eager to fight for independence. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes tolerance as each boy is changed by unlikely friendships forged by extreme circumstances. {from book cover}

This book was difficult for me to read, not because of the writing, but because of the content. It’s tough to read about kids being forced into war, or about families being displaced for no reason other than the tribe they belong to. I ache as I think about these characters because I know that, though they are fictional, the stories are not. Perkins has taken a grave story and inserted a little bit of hope into it.
I was a little hesitant to start this book, not because I didn’t think it would be good or worth the time invested in it, but because I knew it would be intense. As a result, I delayed picking it up, then had a little bit of a hard time really getting into the story. But thirty pages into the book, I was hooked. I was anxious for Chiko as he must leave his family behind and fight in a war for a government that is imprisoning his father. Once his story collided with Tu Reh’s, I felt like there was a mad rush to get to the end of the book and find out how everything would be resolved for the two of them. I just didn’t want to put it down.
As a character, Chiko’s growth didn’t seem to be dramatic, but was still rewarding to watch. There is a moment when everything changes for him, and his choice in that moment amazed me. Tu Reh, on the other hand, despises everything about where he is in life. His journey seemed very obvious from the beginning, but I was glad to walk it along with him and experience those emotions from his perspective. The two boys provided a good balance to each other in how they viewed the war.
I hope that lots of readers out there choose to pick up this book. My fear is that the lack of knowledge about Burma and the unfamiliar names will scare many off, especially younger readers, but it shouldn’t. This story, at its core, is about two boys in undesirable circumstances and their struggles to improve those circumstances. They may be far away and speak in foreign languages, but they are just like so many of us here in America, with dreams for the future and hopes for a peaceful life.

Published: 2010 by Charlesbridge

Pages: 272