Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara

Reviewed by Lori
Bite Of The Mango
Title: The Bite of the Mango

Author: Mariatu Kamara

***Canadian***

 Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 34938

Description: A courageous biography by a woman from Sierra Leone who at 12 was tortured and lost her hands to child soldiers, her subsequent life in refugee camps, begging in Freetown and her eventual arrival in Toronto where she began to pull her life back together.

Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It


Why I Read It: This book was recommended to me by several teachers as a novel suitable for curriculum study.

Lori's Notes: This is a difficult read in terms of subject matter, but a compelling story written in easy language.  Mariatu's journey from a tortured 12-year-old girl in Sierra Leone who has her hands chopped off by child soldiers, through her recovery, and eventual move to Canada borders on the unbelievable.  I am amazed at the strength Mariatu shows both in surviving her physical attacks but also with the mental fortitude to survive these atrocities.  I thought the cover of the book was fantastic - the landscape cutting through the wrists as Mariatu's hands were cut off. There were times when I welled up with tears for Mariatu and I literally thought to myself - what more does this poor girl have to endure?  I read this book cover to cover in one sitting.

Recommended Readers: Grade 9 and Up.  Fantastic book for curriculum study and a good compliment to any social justice courses or classroom discussions.

Themes: Non-Fiction, Dealing with Adversity, Torture, Crime, Immigration, Child Soldiers, Rape, Economic and Social Status, Conflict and War, Amputees, Sierra Leone, Biography.

Cross-Genre Links: 
Web Search: Mariatu Kamara
Wikipedia: Military Use of Children
Web Search: Child Soldiers Sierra Leone
Related Reading: A Long Way Gone: Memoir of a Boy Soldier
Music: Knocking on Heaven's Door (Child Soldiers/War) performed by Avril Lavigne
Movie: Rebelle/War Witch (2012)
Documentary: Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children (2012)

Post Reading Discussion Questions and Activities: 

  • What happens to Mariatu in this novel?
  • How is she able to survive these situations?
  • Discuss the cover and title of this book.  Create a new title or cover design.
  • How does Mariatu eventually reach Canada? What is she doing now?
  • Write a song or poem inspired by this novel.


Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for Reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Bluffton by Matt Phelan

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title:  Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Author:  Matt Phelan Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 138305 Description:    Henry bonds with a young Buster Keaton over games of baseball while the latter summers locally with a troupe of vaudeville performers. Rubric Rating:   Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:  A growing interest in Graphic novels and a fascination with silent films. Notes:   I really liked this graphic novel.  The images are soft – softly coloured and softly focused.  This is the story of Henry Harrison and the summers that Buster Keaton and the Vaudeville troop come and stay at Bluffton.  While Henry is a fictional character Buster Keaton is not and the novel is based on his autobiography. The arrival of Buster brings excitement to Henry’s life.  They fill their summer days with baseball, pratfalls, and pranks. When Buster leaves for the show, Henry’s life returns to normal, helping his father at the har...
Read more

Cardturner by Louis Sachar

Reviewed by Lori
Image
Title: Cardturner Author: Louis Sachar Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 43908 Description: When his wealthy uncle, a champion bridge player who has lost his vision, asks seventeen-year-old Alton to be a cardturner for him, Alton has no idea how much he will ultimately learn from his eccentric relative.  Includes appendix by Syd Fox with information about bridge. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It: I really enjoyed the novel Holes and this book is by the same author. Lori's Notes: Alton's rich uncle, a champion bridge player, is blind and needs a cardturner for him to play.  A fantastic story about families and relationships, it weaves together the storylines of Alton and his uncle and first loves.  It does delve a little into the paranormal/ghostly but it wasn't distracting to the overall sense of the novel.  It also touches on the idea of how relationships change and change us.  I'm not a bridge player at all and had no idea how the game was p...
Read more

Finding Reading a Challenge During a Pandemic

Reviewed by Lori
Image
I love reading.  I have always loved reading.  But reading during a pandemic has been more than a little bit challenging.   Between worries and distractions my mind is constantly somewhere else.  I've found that I can't sustain my focus for more than a chapter or two.  I pick up a book, I put it down.  Then I struggle to remember what I just read, so I have to start all over again.  I've tried new books, old favourites, audio books, and ebooks.  The result is always the same, another book added to the "to be finished" pile.  And it isn't like I don't have the time to read, I have scads of it.  But then I'm never alone and the moment I pick up a book to try again, someone and/or something needs my attention and whatever little time I had to myself has now blown away like dandelion seeds in a stiff breeze.   You'd think given the situation, with multiple lockdowns and unending time at home, I would use reading as an escape -...
Read more