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That Mad Game, Growing Up in a Warzone: Guest
Review and Interview by Nancy Bo Flood
By lynmiller-lachmann on 2012-09-09 22:02:42
All this week, book bloggers have taken part in the 2012 Random Acts of Publicity to promote books we love. Last Sunday,
I wrote about Barbara Wright’s Crow, a historical novel for middle grade readers set during the Wilmington, NC race riot
and coup of 1898. On Thursday, I took over Linda’s post to promote three books set in Malawi, including one illustrated by
local artist Elizabeth Zunon. Today, I’ve invited Nancy Bo Flood to recommend one of her favorite books of the year.
Several years ago, I reviewed Nancy’s historical novel for young adult readers, Warriors in the Crossfire (Front Street
Books), which explores the devastating effects of the Second World War on the indigenous residents of Saipan. It was one of
my favorite books of 2010, and Nancy has followed it up this year with No-Name Baby, the story of a rural Italian-American
family in the 1920s Midwest thrown into chaos when the 12-year-old protagonist discovers that her mother is not, in fact,
That Mos Game
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Random Acts of Publicity is 7; hat Mad Game, Growing Up in a Warzone: An Anthology of Essays from Around the Globe,
edited by J.L. Powers and published in 2012 by Cinco Puntos Press. The following is Nancy’s review and an interview with
J.L. Powers, the anthology’s editor. “Imagine...” If all high school students and their parents read this book, they would then
yearn for peace, choose peace, and also feel increased compassion for all who have fought wars, escaped from war, or who
have lost home, family, and childhood because of war. Kurt Vonnegut would be pleased. Vonnegut, who was a U.S. prisoner
of war in Dresden when the city was fire-bombed by U.S. planes, wrote in his book, Slaughter House Five: “You know what
I say to people when I hear they’re writing anti-war books?” “No. What do you say...?” “I say, Why don’t you write an anti-
glacier book instead?’” War...is as easy to stop as glaciers. This powerful anthology is a collection of personal essays that
can move glaciers. At least they will move the human heart to consider the suffering of those who experience the violence
and terror of war. “Those” include children of soldiers or children of victims. Each essay presents a unique perspective, and
each one shares pain but also hope. Even humor. The title itself causes one to pause and reflect: “War, that mad game the
world so loves to play, And for it does so dearly pay... Yet at the last the box sweeps all away.” Jonathan Swift, “’’Ode to Sir
William Temple,” 1689 CE JL Powers will donate a portion of her royalties to the Palestine International Board on Books
for Young People (IBBY) branch for its work promoting peace in the Middle East. The seventeen essays in This Mad Game
are from both established and emerging writers: Qais Akabar Omar (Kabul), Alia Yunis (Abu Dhabi), Peauladd Huy (Phnom
Penh), Nikolina Kulidzan (Yugoslavia), Rene Colato Lainez (El Salvador), David Yost (Burma, Thailand), and others.
Rebecca Henderson writes about the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program in "A Separate Escape: The Chin of Burma.”
In my interview with the author, J.L. Powers, she talks about why she created this collection of essays and what she hopes
the impact will be on readers—terror or hope? Nancy: Each essay describes not only a terrible war situation but also the
lack of compassion from others. In each "mad war game" there is a division between "we" and "them." The "them" become
the monsters and as was written in a recent Arizona paper, "just shoot them." How can we change this perception of todays
"them," for example, refugees from the Middle East, families who have entered illegally across a border, the far right tea
party politicians? J.L.: A critical component in changing our perceptions of people we consider "them" or the "other" is
getting to know a member of the group in question. Putting a face to "them" can do wonders to changing our perception of
people we don't know and who may seem alien. This is true not just of people of other ethnic groups, but also of people
whose religious or political beliefs seem strange to us. Often, when we meet an adult or child who appears “different,” we
tend to demonize; we find that our perceptions are skewed, biased, or simply inaccurate. People “see” what they anticipate
“seeing.” Given the realities of prejudice and intolerance, narrative is the key to changing people's perception. Personal
narratives are powerful tools for transforming the way we think. Nancy: What do you hope readers will remember - will take
with them - after reading this anthology? In what ways do you hope readers might be changed? J.L.: 1 hope to illuminate the
many ways that war damages the most precious members of any society, our children. No matter how many excuses we put
on the face of any war--whether offensive or defensive--children suffer terribly. And nobody, nobody, wants that, except the
most deranged immoral members of human society, people like Joseph Kony. If we begin to recognize that all wars have an
enormous human cost--no matter what legitimate or illegitimate reasons we offer in defense--perhaps it will make us less
likely to support war. I find it profoundly moving to read books like The Fear by Peter Godwin, about the nonviolent ways
Zimbabweans have responded to the increasingly violent and erratic behavior of their dictator, Robert Mugabe. Most of us
would consider it justified if Zimbabweans started a civil war, and yet they have chosen another path. There are enormous
wounds in that society, and among those wounds are those of victims who must learn to heal from torture and murder of
innocents by a dictator determined to stay in power no matter the cost. Yet these citizens have actively resisted the additional
wounds that accompany war. Nancy: What can a reader do? Any suggestions? When I finished reading many of the
individual essays, I wanted to do something to increase compassion, awareness, tolerance, etc. J.L.: The United States today
is home to millions of people who have fled wars on every continent. No matter where you live in the U.S., you will find a
nearby organization servicing refugees, American soldiers, and others who suffer from the effects of war. Many of these
organizations are in desperate need of volunteers. If you can't find such an organization, there are hundreds online that will
accept donations, letters, and other forms of support. This anthology, THAT MAD GAME, GROWING UP INA
WARZONE, deals specifically with the effects of war on children. One of the essays reveals the emotional costs for
American children whose parents are returning soldiers, suffering from PTSD or depression, both are devastating forms of
emotional disability. Some statistics show that our returning soldiers have the highest rate of suicide in U.S. history. And of
course, what about the children who have lost a parent to our wars? Or who now have a parent who is disabled? The military
has programs for us to write letters of support and encouragement to our soldiers and their children. Quaker and Mennonite
pacifist organizations have done incredible work with our soldiers. See what exists in your community first and then go
beyond as needed. Thank you for listening, Jessica For more information about this book, contact John Byrd at
johnbyrd@cincopuntos.com.
