There are two ways that man looks at violence. The first is a glorified lie. The second is the hideous truth and leaves us wondering, if man is capable of causing such horror, how can violence be glorified in the first place?
Read the first chapter of White’s award-winning entry in NOWW’s Middle Grade Novel Writing Contest
judged by Eric Walters!
judged by Eric Walters!
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“The very first line grabbed me … a wonderful balance between description, dialogue and action … I watched the story roll before my eyes … vivid, visual and real …
I didn’t want it to end!” - Eric Walters, Fourth Dimension, 90 Days of Different |
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Book I in The Stones Trilogy
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The first rule for survival when you're a child soldier carrying an AK-47 is kill or be killed. But after you look at the blood of your first victim you realize two things: One, you hate yourself. And two: there is no turning back.
"Donna White has written a book about one of the world's biggest injustices, the issue of child soldiers. An issue that's often hard to understand and tell, she ... give(s) voice to the children who have and continue to be haunted by this experience and at the same time connecting young people in North America to the humanity of their peers on the other side of the world." - Michel Chikwanine, former child soldier and author of "Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are used in War" "Bullets, Blood and Stones, imaginatively brings the Child Soldier issue to life—bridging the gap between here and there, between us and them in a compelling fashion that will appeal to young readers and adults alike." - Patrick Reed, Director/Producer “Fight Like Soldiers Die Like Children” “Donna White has written a book about one of the most powerful and troubling subjects there is in the modern world: child soldiers. She has also added a supernatural element which makes the book even more accessible to teenagers of all socio-economic backgrounds. This is an important book. Read it. Now.” - David Henry Sterry, best-selling author of "Chicken" “Donna White has written a book on child soldier as if she was in Uganda for all the years the war had been there. Her book is so inspiring and touching psychologically, spiritually, socially and physically. This is the book about what innocent children in Northern Uganda and Eastern went through.” - Oroma Christine, Head Counselor at Gulu Recovery Center for Former Child Soldiers |
Check out the trailer for
Bullets, Blood and Stones: the journey of a child soldier
produced by Calla Gigliotti below:
Bullets, Blood and Stones: the journey of a child soldier
produced by Calla Gigliotti below:
Book II in The Stones Trilogy
Check out the trailer for
Arrows, Bones and Stones: the shadow of a child soldier produced by Calla Gigliotti below: |
Charlie looked at Fire, then to the burning logs, and back to her again. Finally, he spoke.
“If you were taken by the LRA, why can you not say it just?” Fire glanced at Charlie and sighed. “Because when you are a girl, there is more to lose.” Charlie has much to fear since escaping the Lord’s Resistance Army. If recaptured by Joseph Kony, he faces torture and death at the hands of his fellow soldiers. If he returns to his own village, many will seek revenge at the end of a hangman’s rope for killing and maiming his own people. But it is the ajiji he fears most—the haunting flashbacks and tormented nightmares of the evil deeds he has committed. When he meets Fire, the village witch doctor, Charlie sets out on a journey where he must learn to face the sun and leave the shadows of his past behind him. But many secrets can’t be revealed. And Fire, a beautiful young girl who has recently escaped from the LRA, holds the darkest secret of them all. “Arrows, Bones and Stones compellingly reveals the struggle faced by those trying to overcome childhood trauma. For youth abducted and forced to fight as child soldiers, escape is not the end of the story, but just the beginning. The shadow of their past haunts them, and the physical scars and psychological wounds cut deep. But even in the darkest hour, there is always the promise of new light. Yes, this is a story of despair, guilt, and shame, but it’s also one of resilience and hope.” - Patrick Reed, Director/Producer, Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children “In this second installment in the trilogy, Charlie, Fire, and Sam, provide us with the necessary human contexts to the plight of girl child soldiers but also the harsh reality of losing a loved one at a young age. The gripping tale reminds us that even in the midst of inhumanity, we all have the ability to be hopeful, and have the will to survive. An incredibly well written book! I can’t wait for the next one.” - Michel Chikwanine, former child soldier and author of Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls are Used in War |
Book III in The Stones Trilogy
Bruce shrugged. “Beats me. But I don’t think it matters whether you have a bow and arrow or a bazooka. I mean, it helps—that’s for sure—but I think it’s more of a choice thing. The soldiers chose to run away ’cause they were more concerned ’bout saving their own lives. That lady chose not to run ’cause she knew she couldn’t live with herself if she did. I know people say you gotta have guts to do these things, but I don’t think so. I think you just gotta live your life so you don’t have any regrets.”
For twenty-three years, Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, abducted more than sixty thousand children, forcing them to be soldiers in his war against the Ugandan government, to kill or be killed.
It’s time for this evil to end.
But how?
Forgiveness or revenge? Peace or hate? Flowers or stones?
Healing can’t begin when there’s so much pain. Broken people can’t mend shattered lives.
In the last book of the Stones Trilogy, Charlie and Eseza set out to right the wrongs committed against them and their people. In the process, they discover that goodness can come from the most unlikely people, in the most unlikely places,
and in the most unlikely times.
“Donna White’s latest novel has the ability to change people, much like the magical stones referenced in her title: turning despair into hope; and finding strength even among the most vulnerable. The final revelation that peace is stronger than war is a much needed message for our troubled times, and a fitting conclusion to her compelling trilogy.”
- Patrick Reed, Director/Producer, Fight Like Soldiers, Die Like Children
Check out the trailer for Spirits, Graves and Stones: the dance of a child soldier
produced by Letsfilm below:
produced by Letsfilm below:
The Stones Trilogy: Boxed Set
now available as an ebook on Amazon!
now available as an ebook on Amazon!
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