When Blackbirds Fly
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
MY THOUGHTS
Warning: When Blackbirds Fly is not a fun read. It is one of those books that will leave you shattered at the path history took. It will make you angry and then leave you with questions you will demand answers to.
When Blackbirds Fly shows the protagonist, a teenage boy, living in Aizawl with his family and friends. He has a crush on his schoolmate, Rini and looks forward to the time they spend together, daily. He is envious of the life his friend Zuala leads, but enjoys talking and spending time with him. He also dreams of one day being able to see a real aircraft. He stays away from politics and is hesitant to choose a side in the ongoing freedom movement. But life has other plans for him. Set in the backdrop of the Mizo insurgency, the story shows how personal dreams and family lives are shattered when conflicts rise around us.
Reading this book in the backdrop of everything that is happening in Ukraine adds a whole new perspective to the book. For Hannah Lalhanpuii, writing about the Mizo insurgency comes from a space that is deeply personal. On Tell Me A Story, she candidly speaks about how the insurgency affected members of her family and community and why she was determined to tell the story so that the new generation will understand where their grandparents and parents actually come from. As a subject matter expert in trauma writing, she deftly combines stories from her interviews with the pain and personal history of her family to weave a tale that will leave you stunned and wanting more.
This book is a part of Duckbill’s Not Our War (NOW) series, which deals with the powerlessness of children growing up in times of conflict and yet dreaming of a brighter, safer future. I cannot recommend this book and the accompanying interview enough! Raw, hard-hitting, and unputdownable — this is a book you must include in your summer reading list!
SWIPE RIGHT for the podcast cover and find the link to the episode in the comments below. HIT PLAY NOW!
If you think your child would enjoy this book, you can buy it here →
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