We specialize in hard to find items
All Categories
*Price and Stocks may change without prior notice
*Packaging of actual item may differ from photo shown
- Electrical items MAY be 110 volts.
- 7 Day Return Policy
- All products are genuine and original
About Bamboo People
Product Description Junior Library Guild SelectionTop Ten ALA Best Fiction for Young AdultsStarred Reviews in PW and School Library Journal Book Page's Top Ten Middle Grade Novel Bang! A side door bursts open.Soldiers pour into the room. They're shouting and waving rifles.I shield my head with my arms. It was a lie! I think, my mind racing.Girls and boys alike are screaming. The soldiers prod and herd some of us together and push the rest apart as if we're cows or goats.Their leader, though, is a middle-aged man. He's moving slowly, intently, not dashing around like the others. "Take the boys only, Win Min," I overhear him telling a tall, gangly soldier. "Make them obey." Chiko isn't a fighter by nature. He's a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family's home and bamboo fields. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion as each boy is changed by unlikely friendships formed under extreme circumstances. Review "With authenticity, insight, and compassion, Perkins delivers another culturally rich coming-of-age novel." --★ School Library Journal Starred Review "A graceful exploration of the redemptive power of love, family, and friendship." --★ Publishers Weekly Starred Review "First and foremost, a compelling story." -- Boston Globe "A tender tale of parallel sorrows and dreams." -- Sacramento Bee "Thrilling jungle survival story." --Stanford Magazine From the Author For three years my husband, children, and I lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While we were there we visited the Karenni refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. I was astounded at how the Karenni kept their hopes up despite incredible loss, still dreaming and talking of the day when they would once again become a free people. I was impressed, too, by how creatively they used bamboo. Homes, bridges, transportation, weapons, food, storage, irrigation--all these and more depended on the resilient, lavish, and ecologically efficient bamboo plant. I began to think about that plant as an excellent symbol for the peoples of that region. During that time I also began to understand how tough life is for Burmese teenagers. Only about a third are enrolled in school, and most can't find jobs. According to international human rights organizations, Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world, and that number is growing. These young soldiers are taught that the Karenni and other ethnic groups are the cause of the problems in their country and are rewarded with money and food if they burn, destroy, torture, and kill ethnic minorities. What would you do if your mother was hungry and your only option to feed her was to fight in the army? What about if you saw soldiers burning your home and farm while you ran for your life? Wouldn't you be terrified, like Chiko? Wouldn't you be angry, like Tu Reh? In my travels far and wide, I've learned two things: all people feel powerful negative emotions, but we all face choices when it comes to acting on them. I hope you connect with Tu Reh and Chiko as you read Bamboo People . If you want to promote peace and democracy in Burma or help refugees fleeing from that country, please browse bamboopeople.org where I provide resources, an educator's guide, and suggestions for involvement. From the Inside Flap Chiko isn't a fighter by nature. He's a book-smart Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. When Chiko is forced into the army by trickery, he must find the courage to survive the mental and physical punishment meted out by the training facility's menacing captain. Tu Reh can't forget the image of the Burmese soldiers burning his home and the bamboo fields of his oppressed Karenni people, one of the many ethnic minorities in Burma. Now living in a Karenni refugee camp on the T
