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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
When the rebels come to Obinna's village, they do more than wreak terror for one night. Lining the children up in the middle of the village, they measure them against the height of an AK-47. Those who are shorter than the gun are left behind. Those who are taller are taken. Obinna and his older brother Akot find themselves the rebel army's newest recruits. But while Akot almost willingly surrenders to the training, Obinna resists, determined not to be warped by the revolution's slogans and violence. In the face of his vicious captain's determination to break him, Obinna finds help in a soldier called Priest, and in the power of his own dreams. Beneath the Darkening Sky describes a life unimaginably different from our own, but one that is the experience of tens of thousands of child soldiers. Uncompromising, vivid and raw, it is an astonishing portrait of a mind trying to make sense of a senseless world' (Publisher website).
Majok Tulba talks about and reads from his book here.
Majok Tulba talks about and reads from his book here.
Notes
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Dedication: For the children who died in battle, the villages that were burned, the rights that were lost, the lives not lived, and the voiceless everywhere.
For my late grandparents, Atchut Ayiu and Tulba Malual: because of you, I have memories to last a lifetime.
For Aleec, Marial, Tulba, and by beautiful wife and best friend, Ayen Mawat, for her unconditional love and support.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Braille.
Works about this Work
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The Best Young Australian Novelists
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 May 2013; (p. 28-29) 'In a strong year for emerging writers, The Sydney Morning Herald shines a spotlight on six winners with extraordinary stories, writer Marc McEvoy.' -
Now, Read This
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25) -
A Pair of Ragged Claws
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 September 2012; (p. 19) -
Bang. Bang. Bang.
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 344 2012; (p. 26)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Fiction
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 8 - 9 September 2012; (p. 22)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel
-
Life and Death Measured by the Length of a Gun
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 7-8 July 2012; (p. 20-21)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Take Three: Fiction
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Sunday Canberra Times , 5 August 2012; (p. 26)
— Review of The Beloved 2011 single work novel ; Darkness on the Edge of Town 2012 single work novel ; Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Unmatched Terror in the Children's Crusade
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Saturday Age , 18 August 2012; (p. 25)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Fiction
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 8 - 9 September 2012; (p. 22)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Bang. Bang. Bang.
2012
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , September no. 344 2012; (p. 26)
— Review of Beneath the Darkening Sky 2012 single work novel -
Majok's Story
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 30 June - 1 July 2012; (p. 24-28) -
A Pair of Ragged Claws
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 September 2012; (p. 19) -
Now, Read This
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 15-16 December 2012; (p. 22-23) The Weekend Australian , 5-6 January 2013; (p. 14-25) -
The Best Young Australian Novelists
2013
single work
column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 May 2013; (p. 28-29) 'In a strong year for emerging writers, The Sydney Morning Herald shines a spotlight on six winners with extraordinary stories, writer Marc McEvoy.'
Awards
- 2014 winner Kathleen Mitchell Literary Award
- 2013 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Multicultural NSW Award
- 2013 shortlisted Commonwealth Book Prize
- 2013 joint winner The Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelist of the Year
Last amended 26 Aug 2021 14:07:23
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