Soldier Boy

Starred review from May 1, 2017
In this brutal debut novel inspired by real-life events, Hutton addresses the horrors of the Ugandan civil war through two child soldiers. The narrative primarily follows Ricky Richard Anywar, kidnapped at age 14 and forcibly inducted into Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army alongside his brother and friends in 1989. Over the next few years, Ricky survives horrifying conditions, brutal training, and numerous combat missions, always looking for a chance to escape. Meanwhile, in 2006, 11-year-old Samuel recuperates from grievous injuries after falling in battle, unable to trust his caregivers or the strange man who insists on learning his story. Both boys are forced to confront the memories of lost friends and the things they did to stay alive. Hutton approaches the setting, conflict, and characters with unremitting honesty, drawing from Anywar’s own life (he contributes an afterword) while using the fictional Samuel as a stand-in for the current generation of unwilling soldiers. This isn’t an easy or pleasant read—Hutton doesn’t shy from discussions of rape, torture, and abuse—but it’s eye-opening and relevant. Ages 13–up. Agent: Soumeya Bendimerad Roberts, HSG Agency.

Powerful writing based on the real life of Ricky Anywar is heightened by narrator Kevin R. Free's dramatic reading. Free's use of an African accent carries readers to the Ugandan setting and the stories of two characters--one real, one fictional. The true story of 14-year-old Ricky begins with the tenderness of his warm family. Soon, there's a horrific reversal as Free narrates the brutalities Ricky endures when his family is murdered and he's enslaved by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The imagined story of 11-year-old Samuel, who represents all the child soldiers, reveals the trauma that comes after a child is freed from being a soldier. Free's characterizations vary from the diabolical menace of Ricky's commanders to the nurturing compassion that the grown-up Ricky provides Samuel through his relief organization, Friends of Orphans. This may be one of the most difficult audios you'll ever hear. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine