War Brothers

War Brothers (2008) is a novel by Canadian young adult novelist Sharon McKay. While a fictional story, the plot and characters are based on interviews McKay conducted with former Ugandan child soldiers. War Brothers centers around Kitino Jacob, a 14-year-old boy kidnapped along with his friends and forced into enslavement as a child soldier in the Lord’s Resistance Army, led by warlord Joseph Kony. The novel uses multiple perspectives to explore its themes of The Experience of Child Soldiers, The Impact of Trauma, and The Bonds of Friendship. In 2014, War Brothers was adapted into a graphic novel and released to American readers. The novel also won the 2009 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Book.

This guide uses the 2008 Kindle version of this novel.

Content Warning: The source text discusses graphic violence, themes of abduction and child soldiers, psychological trauma, depictions of war atrocities, and sexual assault and rape.

Plot Summary

War Brothers opens in the city of Gulu, Uganda, in the year 2002. Jacob is a 14-year-old schoolboy planning to leave for his year at the George Jones Seminary for Boys boarding school with his best friend, Tony. Jacob belongs to a comparatively affluent family, residing within a compound that includes homes for the family's servants, while Tony's family lives in the poverty-stricken slums. They listen to Jacob’s father talk with his friend Musa Henry Torac about the Lord’s Resistance Army, an army of rebel soldiers known for kidnapping schoolchildren and forcing them to become child soldiers. Jacob's father reveals that Musa Henry Torac's grandson was among those abducted by the notorious warlord Joseph Kony. The family’s servant Bella shoos him away from the intense discussions.

The third chapter of the novel focuses on Oteka, another local from Gulu. Oteka is considerably poorer than Jacob—he’s unable to afford most basic food and has to save for months to get a reading from a local medicine man. After a chance encounter at church, Jacob gives Oteka the money, and Oteka heads to the medicine man, asking him to contact his dead mother. However, the only word that Oteka’s mother imparts to him is the word “Kony.”

In the dorm at school, Jacob and Tony meet their mutual friend Paul, who tells them of a recent trip to the United States. They also meet a younger student in the school named Norman, who is attending on a math scholarship. Their excitement is short-lived as the Lord’s Resistance Army launches an attack on their school, shattering their sense of security. On their first day with the Lord’s Resistance Army, Tony is forced to kill a classmate named Adam. Jacob grapples with the moral implications of their predicament, torn between survival and maintaining his humanity. The indoctrination tactics of the Lord’s Resistance Army, embodied by Commander Opiro, instill fear and obedience in the captive boys.

As they march through the unforgiving terrain, Jacob forms a bond with Norman and Hannah, a captive girl whose ears had been removed as punishment by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Their journey through the jungle is fraught with peril as they navigate treacherous terrain and try to survive starvation. Their resilience is put to the test as they endure pain, exhaustion, and the constant threat of violence. Disturbed by the violence he was forced to commit, Tony slowly becomes an indoctrinated soldier. Jacob, Paul, and Norman cling to their bonds with one another for support amidst the chaos, refusing to succumb to the brutality of their surroundings. When the captives encounter a convoy, Jacob, Norman, and Paul are finally given weapons and are told to attack, but are unable to do so once they realize that the convoy is composed of women and children.

Their journey culminates in a daring escape, orchestrated with precision and bravery. Norman, who was held captive near a commander’s tent and threatened with death, is freed by Jacob and Hannah. With the help of Oteka, all five children, except for the brainwashed Tony, manage to escape Kony’s encampment. Following their escape, the children flee to a river. They are pursued by a soldier named Lizard, who has long been a source of torment to them. Lizard manages to track them down but is killed by a lion. Tony is discovered hiding in the roots of a tree, having volunteered to track down his former classmates, but he decides to join them in their escape attempt. Hannah reveals that Lizard was Musa Henry Torac’s grandson. The children head upriver and manage to find a boat to escape. After crossing the river, the former captives encounter government soldiers and are reunited with their families.

At the end of the novel, the teenagers all contemplate their lives and their bonds moving forward. Norman, Tony, Paul, and Jacob all want to return to school, Hannah plans on becoming a nun, and Oteka returns to the forest to try to rescue more children from the Lord’s Resistance Army. As the boys attempt to navigate their uncertain future, they are met with both support and skepticism from their community. In particular, Norman's encounter with his father reveals the deep-seated fear and mistrust that pervades their community, underscoring the challenges they face in rebuilding trust and forging a path forward. Additionally, Musa Henry Torac's revelation about his grandson's fate adds another layer of complexity to Jacob's journey as he grapples with the harsh realities of war and the toll it has taken on those around him.

In the final passages of the novel, Hannah and Jacob admit their bond with each other, and Hannah comes to visit Jacob’s father at home. The Epilogue reveals that instead of becoming a nun, Hannah becomes a teacher and marries Jacob.