Burma BoyIt's winter 1944 and the Second World War is entering its most crucial stage. A few months ago Ali Banana was apprenticed to a whip-wielding blacksmith in his rural hometown; now he's behind enemy lines, trekking through the Burmese jungle, a private in Thunder Brigade. He is fourteen years old. Led by the scarred, charismatic Sergeant Damisa, Thunder Brigade has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and wreak havoc. But the jungle is a treacherous place, riddled with Japanese snipers, infection and disease.As torrential rains turn the landscape into a mud-riven death trap, the losses mount up, Ali's sanity falters and troubling questions arise. Who, for instance, is 'Kingi Jogi'? What does his empire stand for? And what does it all mean for Banana, the men of Thunder Brigade and for their inspirational general? Burma Boy is a story of the adventure of war and the terrible consequences of that adventure. Biyi Bandele's novel is a meticulously researched, elegantly written tribute to the Africans who fought in the Second World War - detailing the madness, the horror, the sacrifice and the dark humour of its most vicious battleground. |
From inside the book
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Page 29
... of the 400,000 - strong expeditionary force sent to Abyssinia by Benito ' Il Duce ' Mussolini , had found himself and twelve of his fellow fascisti caught in an ambush sprung upon them by a shadowy group called Gideon Force , 29 2.
... of the 400,000 - strong expeditionary force sent to Abyssinia by Benito ' Il Duce ' Mussolini , had found himself and twelve of his fellow fascisti caught in an ambush sprung upon them by a shadowy group called Gideon Force , 29 2.
Page 32
... ambush , losing five mules , with two men severely wounded , and an elephant that charged into the jungle with its mahout on top . Banana left Bombay and travelled by train to Chiringa , a town in the Bengal region , where the West ...
... ambush , losing five mules , with two men severely wounded , and an elephant that charged into the jungle with its mahout on top . Banana left Bombay and travelled by train to Chiringa , a town in the Bengal region , where the West ...
Page 148
... ambush in his hands . ' Aren't you going to bury that , Samanja ? ' he asked . ' No , ' Damisa replied . Then after a short silence , he added , ' It's not Dogo's helmet . I only noticed it had a sun on it when I gave it a second look ...
... ambush in his hands . ' Aren't you going to bury that , Samanja ? ' he asked . ' No , ' Damisa replied . Then after a short silence , he added , ' It's not Dogo's helmet . I only noticed it had a sun on it when I gave it a second look ...
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Common terms and phrases
Aberdeen African Aluwong ambush army Atabrine Banana asked Bangalore torpedo Bloken body bombs boys Brigade HQ bullets Burma called chickenpox Chindits Chiringa colonel D-Section Danja dead death Doctor Hamid Dogo enemy eyes face Farabiti Banana fight fire Gboko Gideon Force Godiwillin grenades guns Guntu Gurkhas Hailakandi Hausa head heard helmet Hill hippee hippee ya-ya Imperial Japanese Navy India inside Janar Japanese Japs joined jungle Kaduna kamus kill Kingi Joji knew kofur Kyaftin Gillafsie later laughing learnt looked Maiganga Major Wingate mango Mawlu Mepacrine metres morning Muddy River mules Nigerian night pack Pash Pash's perimeter picked platoon remembah rifle rucksack Samanja Damisa Samanja Grace Samanja Show shehu sleep snake sojas speak Hausa stopped stronghold suddenly talking Tayib tell There's thing thought told trees trenches trucks voice walked wanted White City Wingate's wire wonder words Yusufu and Iddrisi Zaria Zololo