Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins

Bamboo People Reviews

• 
  Alvaro

  I like this book because it's one of those interesting books that takes place in modern day. My review of this story takes place In modern day Burma, Chiko (main character) is looking for a job, to be a teacher), he tells his mom but she doesn't want him in danger. Finally she lets him go, when he's at the city hall he finds out its a trick to get forced into the Burmese army.
  On the opposite side of the war, a karrani boy named Tu Reh join the army to get revenge on the Burmese for burning his village, on the way they meet and will have to learn how to get a friendship going and do the best for each other.
• 
  Tara

  One of my favorite YA novels. Perkins explores the tragic and senseless repercussions of war on the border of Burma and Thailand, as told from the pov of two young men on each side. The setting is authentic and beautifully rendered, and the characters strong and believable. This novel is an important addition to YA literature.
• 
  New Bu

  In the book The Bamboo People there was a war. The war was between the Burmese and the Karreni. It's about a Burmese boy named Chiko who wants to be a teacher. Chiko instead gets forced into the Burmese army and has to train to be a soldier. Chiko meets Tai who is a street kid who becomes his best friend. Tai teaches Chiko how to survive the training, while Chiko teaches Tai how to read and write. Chiko gets a chance to go home but instead takes Tai's place and goes to war instead, while Tai goes back to Yangon. On Chiko's mission something happens to Chiko.
  Tu Reh a Karreni boy who has a decision to either kill Chiko or save him. Tu Reh has to make a lot of decisions and the person he admires does'nt like his decision. When he made his decision he had a lot of problems to deal with.
  I thought this was a great book because I can relate to it. I also like this book because I thought it was an interesting book. The book was fun to read. This book has history about burma but it wasn't boring it was fun history. The theme "No Hero Comes Back Unscathed" was a great theme and it helps with the story. The theme goes along with the story really well. This was a great book.
• 
  Landon Kintner

  Bamboo People is one of the best books I have read ever. I recommend this book to everyone. My favorite part of the book is the second part of the book because it is so suspenseful. I usually get bored during long books, but this one made me want to keep reading. I liked how in the middle of the book, it was written from a different character's perspective than in the first half.
  
  Bamboo People takes place in Burma, in the jungles, in today's time. Chiko is Burmese, and Tu Reh is Karenni. Their people are fighting each other. Both are adolescent boys, and both end up being soldiers for their side.
  
  At the beginning of the novel, Chiko has lost his dad to the government because his dad was a doctor. Chiko also gets taken by the government and is forced to train as a soldier. He meets a kid named Tai, which is his best friend at camp. Tai tries to escape camp so he and Chiko have to carry all the rocks back down to the creek as a punishment. Tai figures out how to carry the rocks faster by using buffalo and a cart. When the training captain finds out, he makes Tai stay in a little room without food or water. Chiko shares some of his food with Tai. Tai gets chosen for a special mission, and Chiko volunteers in his place so at the end of the first half of the book Tai gets to go home, and Chiko stays for another mission.
  
  The second half of the book starts with Tu Reh, instead of Chiko. Tu Reh goes on a mission where he finds four dead bodies and one wounded body. Tu Reh doesn't want to take the wounded because he is wearing a Burmese uniform, and he remembers the Burmese soldiers burning the home and bamboo fields of his people. When he hears the wounded boy cry for his mother, he carries the body to the healer's hut where the healer tries to heal him. She can't heal him because it is a very bad cut, and it gets infected. Tu Reh says something about his camp, and the next day they leave. On the way, they hear something shaking the ground. Tu Reh gets in the path of an elephant and makes loud noises. The elephant gets scared and runs away. They get pretty close to camp when people start shooting at them. Tu Reh slung the wounded body over his shoulder and ran all the way to camp. The doctor had to cut the person's leg off and give him a fake leg. We find out at the end of the book that the wounded person is Chiko from the beginning of the novel.
• 
  Helen

  I needed an historical fiction book for a challenge and this was available from the library. I would never have picked it up otherwise but it's really good.
  
  I'm sure it glosses over lots of unpleasantness but it is an interesting glimpse into a period of which I was oblivious.
• 
  Barb Middleton

  Fifteen-year-old Burmese teen, Chiko, wants to be a teacher, but the government wants him to be a soldier. Forced against his will to join the army, Chiko learns to survive with the help of his street-wise friend, Tai. In the book, Bamboo People, by Mitali Perkins the issues of human rights and prejudices toward minorities are explored in the country of Burma/Myanmar.
  
  Chiko is an intelligent, kind boy whose father, a doctor, has been imprisoned for resisting the government. Tai who befriends Chiko has also benn forced to join the army against his will. Tai has been living on the streets with his sister and knows how to survive against bullies such as those at the military camp. Chiko teaches Tai to read while Tai teaches Chiko how to fight. The two develop such a close bond that they consider each other brothers and are willing to sacrifice their own life for the others.This is part one of the book. In part two, we meet Tu Reh who hates the Burmese for persecuting and killing his people, the Karenni. When Tu Reh finds an injured Chiko he must decide whether he will kill him or help him to live.
  
  The writing in the book has short chapters with terrific descriptions of what it is like living in Burma. The plot is full of tense moments and life-or-death situations. The characters go through internal and external conflicts making it a page turner. The ending did not resolve all the issues and wrapped up too quickly. I thought that Nya Meh had been in contact with Chiko’s dad when they told the story of her being taught medicine by a Burmese doctor when she was captive and when Tu Reh said that the photo of Chiko’s dad looked familiar. Also, the story of how Tai ended up in Yangon should have been explained more. It was glossed over.
  
  Many of the boys are interested in the girls in this story. While nothing happens, Chiko and Tu Reh think a lot about girls and what they like about the the two that have caught their eye. The book is violent with children dying and a bully who is a captain. The recruits handle the bully well and support each other. There is also hints of verbal and physically abuse toward young teenage girls such as when Tai worries about his sister, Auntie Doctor doesn’t want Ree Meh to come with to the clinic because she fears for her safety, and Nya Reh when she was imprisoned by the Burmese. Nothing graphic is explained.
• 
  Clare O

  
  ​In Bamboo People, Mitali Perkins tells the story from the point of view of two Burmese boys, Chiko, 15 years old, and Tu Reh, 16 years old. The first half of the book, told in Chiko’s first person perspective, follows Chiko as he is answering a want ad and going for an interview to become a teacher. However, he is tricked, captured, and recruited into the Burmese Army to defend against the Karenni tribe. The Karenni tribe is a group of freedom loving rebels who are fighting against the oppression of the Government. This is where the second half of the book picks up and is told from the point of view of a young Karenni tribesman named Tu Reh.
  During a military mission, Chiko was badly wounded by a land mine. Tu Reh finds Chiko dying on the ground and Tu Reh’s father urges him to do what is right and endure great dangers to save the dying Burmese soldier. One redeeming quality of this book is that the author uniquely tells the story from two perspectives. By doing this, the reader sympathizes with both protagonists in the book who are on opposing sides. The author also spends much time illustrating the confusion Tu Reh feels with regard to helping Chiko. But Tu Reh preservers and continues to do what is right. The story continues with the development of their friendship through all the hardship. While it is a great story to read to be entertained, at the same time the author educates the reader about the oppressive Burmese government. If I had to improve anything in the book, I would have expanded the ending and tell more about the continuing lives of the two boys. I find myself hoping for a sequel. The main messages of the story are forgiveness, love and friendship.
  ​I rate this book 5/5 stars. I enjoyed reading a different genre than I normally do. I can connect to Tu Reh, struggling with tough decisions, but I cannot connect to what it feels like to be in war. I would recommend this book to males and females ages 13 and up. Younger kids would not enjoy all of the violence in this book. Also many young children probably don’t understand war and they wouldn’t be able to comprehend how that impacts the characters and their decisions. This book moved at a good pace and I always wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Overall, this is a book that I can see myself reading again in the near future.
• 
  Jan

  This novel, set in modern day Burma, is about two child soldiers—both from very different backgrounds—who are forced to take part in the military’s action against the Karenni people, an ethnic minority in Burma. The first part of the story, told in first person narrative, tells the tale of Chiko, a boy from an educated middle class background whose father has been imprisoned by the government. Chiko is forced to join the army and train to fight the soldiers of the Karenni resistance. On a mission to spy on the Karenni, Chiko is injured by a mine. In the second half of the novel, we are introduced to a new narrator, Tu Reh, a member of the Karenni tribe, who finds an injured Chiko after the explosion and must decide whether to kill him or to rescue him. The book contrasts the very different worlds each character inhabits and highlights the political struggle of the Burmese people.
  
  Themes addressed in the book are prejudice against ethnic minorities and the difficulty in making courageous decisions that go against these prejudices. There is also a strong theme of Christian forgiveness in the book.
  
  Although I enjoyed this story and appreciated the book’s themes of courage and defying prejudice, I found this one to use stock imagery—the red sun described as “blood” and bamboo hats as “upside down bowls.” Although the characters are teens, they seemed younger, perhaps because the writing is pitched to a younger reader. The character development is decent, but not exceptional.
  
• 
  Hannah

  Fabulous! Read it in one day. So eye opening, such a gripping story, and definitely not just for kids. I volunteer with refugees, and this just gave me so much more insight into what some of them and their parents have gone through. In addition to teaching me a lot, it's also just a good story, with believable, smart characters and great descriptions.
• 
  Kristine

  A really interesting story narrated by two young boys from both sides of the conflict in Burma (Myanmar).
• 
  Jackie

  3 1/2 stars
  
  This book was good in terms of it shedding light on Burmese issues, the effects of war, child soldiers, ethnic divisions, etc. With those issues being presented I expected to feel more, but due to the writing style and narration I felt disconnected with the characters. It felt like Perkins was doing more telling than showing. There were some areas that were glazed over and implied, but overall it was a lot of telling. I'm not sure what age group this book is intended for, but it certainly felt like it was for a much younger audience even though the topics were heavy. Overall, it was good book though and I would recommend it as teaching tool.
  
• 
  Abby Johnson

  Fifteen year old Chiko is tricked into joining the Burmese army. Tu Reh is a Karenni boy, trapped between wanting to fight the soldiers that destroyed his home and wanting to promote peace as his religious teachings dictate. In the middle of the Burmese jungle, these two boys will meet and neither will ever be the same.
  
  While I appreciate that this is a book that will help raise the consciousness of readers, it just wasn't my cup of tea. There was a lot of talking and not as much action as I expected a book about child soldiers to have. I also found it hard to keep all the characters straight in the second part of the book (there were a lot of them and they all had similar names). That said, many people I respect have loved this book, so I think it's just a case of it not being the right book for me. :)
• 
  Mitzi Moore

  The freshman team at my school choose this 2010 book as the summer assignment for the incoming class. We like the themes of the book: child soldiers, landmines, and coming of age in a developing country with a military dictatorship in power. During the first week of school, we will be connecting our lessons to the book, as well as following up on assignments the students will be completing over the summer.
  
  As this book was written for young adults, more advanced readers may find parts of the book tedious, but the plot is engaging. The supplemental readings at the end will spark curiousity about world events in Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar).
• 
  Francesca Forrest

  I was interested in this for the subject matter and for paying attention to the nuts and bolts of how Mitali Perkins introduced cultural elements and wove together the stories of her two protagonists--Chiko, a Burmese boy from Yangon who's dragooned into the army against his will, and Tu Reh, a Karenni boy living in a refugee camp near the Thai border.
  
  I liked all the characters, both the main ones and the supporting ones, very much, and I felt the emotional growth of both boys was believable and moving. There's a bit of a Christian thread in the book, but since many Karenni are converts to Christianity, this isn't out of place. I didn't find it intrusive.
• 
  Katherine

  Even though this book is over a decade old, the tribal clashes are just as bad if not worse in modern day Myanmar. Having personally interacted with refugees from several different ethnic groups from Myanmar, this book made me understand even more just how hard day to day decisions and basic living is there. This is definitely a must read for anyone seeking to understand the ongoing crisis. Perkins did a great job weaving together two opposing storylines of main characters and their eventual reconciliation in the face of rejection or worse from their families and country. I would have loved to keep reading if Perkins wrote sequels or more on the topic.
• 
  Brendan

  A great novel that touches both heart and head. I really liked the fact that we root for both narrators though they are on opposite sides of a war. It really helps to show how the dehumanization of the enemy in a war is wrong. While some of the secondary characters see these kids as just "the enemy," we know they've got hopes and dreams and a crush on the girl next door.
  
  A quick and enjoyable read that kept me thinking long after I finished it.
• 
  Julie Gárate

  Decided to reread this the other day and now I remember how much I enjoyed it. The stories of Chiko and Tu Reh are realistic ones that have lessons to teach to all ages. I highly recommend this book as it teaches us empathy and to keep from judging those who may at first seem like our enemy; a common thing amongst currently worldly disputes. Perkins writes in a way that captivates your attention and doesn't allow you to get bored or shy away from dealing with such a heavy subject.
• 
  Jamie

  Mitali Perkins has written yet another excellent book. The character development was well done. The book did a great job of making me feel like I was in the Burma jungles (but fortunately I was safe at home!). It was so hard to put this book down. The ending was particularly good. Often times book endings disappoint me, but this one did not disappoint me at all!
• 
  Aashna Anand

  I think this is a great book. I got it from the library and for some time this year, I wasn't reading much because I was focused on many other things but after reading this book, it motivated me in many ways. It's a great novel about two different sides and I feel bad about Chiko's leg at the end of the book.
• 
  Dävydde

  The situation in Myanmar (Burma) is getting worse there now and reading this book made me sad because of what was happening there. I loved both the main characters and was so satisfied with the ending i literally was jumping. I love the writing and the pacing is very good. I think this book needs to be more known.
• 
  Emily

  Heartfelt story focused on individuals involved in a tragic conflict.
  
  Before reading, it is helpful to have some knowledge of the history and recent events in Myanmar.
  
  One of the book's core themes:
  Matthew 5:43-47
• 
  Sunday Hollis

  I really like fiction set in real circumstances and this is very well written and researched. More than a story about 2 boys on opposite sides of the Burmese conflict, a tale that draws you in and teaches you about the lives, the cultures, the dreams of the people.