As a product of the last two decades of political instability, radical cultural change and a rush of out-migration on the African continent, an unprecedented number of books have captured the imagination of international readers. These books have attempted in various ways to capture the complexity and pathos of civil wars, genocide, revolutions and individual attempts to survive not a world of formal colonial domination but a world terrorized by violent notions of freedom and the trauma’s of political “independence.” The most harrowing and often best-selling of these are written by or about “child soldiers;” these have become indeed so popular and influential on global politics, policy and patterns of immigration that it is necessary to think of them as a distinct genre. In this class we will read from a selection of these texts. We will explore their broader political and historical contexts but also explore the ways that they fall within certain conventions of narrative; this of course will require we engage with the increasing problem of “authenticity,” since quite a few have been criticized for their exaggeration in the face of admittedly unimaginable trauma. Authors to include, Ishmael Beah, Uzodinma Iweala, Emmanuel Jal, Grace Akallo, Emmanuel Dongala, Chris Abani and Delia Jarrett-Macaulay.