To Stop a Warlord
My Story of Justice, Grace, and the Fight for Peace
New York : Spiegel & Grau, [2019]
Format: Book
Edition: First edition.
Description: xii, 322 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 25 cm
One woman's inspiring true story of an unlikely alliance to stop the atrocities of a warlord, proving that there is no limit to what we can do, even in the face of unspeakable injustice and impossible odds
"This compelling and inspiring book beautifully moves each of us to take action to help the most vulnerable among us."--Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Late one night in the summer of 2010, Shannon Sedgwick Davis, a lawyer, human rights advocate, and Texas mom to two young boys, first met a Ugandan general to discuss an unconventional plan to stop Joseph Kony, a murderous warlord who'd terrorized communities in four countries across Central and East Africa.
For twenty-five years, Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army had killed over a hundred thousand people, displaced millions, and abducted tens of thousands of children, forcing them to become child soldiers. After Sedgwick Davis met with survivors and community leaders, aid workers and lawmakers, it was clear that the current international systems were failing to protect the most vulnerable. Guided by the strength of her beliefs and convictions, Sedgwick Davis knew she had to help other parents to have the same right she had--to go to sleep each night knowing that their children were safe.
But Sedgwick Davis had no roadmap for how to stop a violent armed group. She would soon step far outside the bounds of traditional philanthropy and activism and partner her human rights organization, the Bridgeway Foundation, with a South African private military contractor and a specialized unit within the Ugandan army. The experience would bring her to question everything she had previously believed about her role as a humanitarian, about the meaning of justice, and about the very nature of good and evil.
In To Stop a Warlord , Shannon Sedgwick Davis tells the story, for the first time, of the unprecedented collaboration she helped build with the aim of finally ending Joseph Kony's war--and the unforgettable journey on an unexpected path to peace. A powerful memoir that reads like a thriller, this is a story that asks us just how hard we would fight for what we believe in.
100 percent of the author's net proceeds from this book will go to organizations seeking justice and protection for civilians in conflict zones.
"This compelling and inspiring book beautifully moves each of us to take action to help the most vulnerable among us."--Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Late one night in the summer of 2010, Shannon Sedgwick Davis, a lawyer, human rights advocate, and Texas mom to two young boys, first met a Ugandan general to discuss an unconventional plan to stop Joseph Kony, a murderous warlord who'd terrorized communities in four countries across Central and East Africa.
For twenty-five years, Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army had killed over a hundred thousand people, displaced millions, and abducted tens of thousands of children, forcing them to become child soldiers. After Sedgwick Davis met with survivors and community leaders, aid workers and lawmakers, it was clear that the current international systems were failing to protect the most vulnerable. Guided by the strength of her beliefs and convictions, Sedgwick Davis knew she had to help other parents to have the same right she had--to go to sleep each night knowing that their children were safe.
But Sedgwick Davis had no roadmap for how to stop a violent armed group. She would soon step far outside the bounds of traditional philanthropy and activism and partner her human rights organization, the Bridgeway Foundation, with a South African private military contractor and a specialized unit within the Ugandan army. The experience would bring her to question everything she had previously believed about her role as a humanitarian, about the meaning of justice, and about the very nature of good and evil.
In To Stop a Warlord , Shannon Sedgwick Davis tells the story, for the first time, of the unprecedented collaboration she helped build with the aim of finally ending Joseph Kony's war--and the unforgettable journey on an unexpected path to peace. A powerful memoir that reads like a thriller, this is a story that asks us just how hard we would fight for what we believe in.
100 percent of the author's net proceeds from this book will go to organizations seeking justice and protection for civilians in conflict zones.
Contents:
To stop a warlord -- Protection urgently needed -- Band-aids on bullet holes -- A thousand haystacks -- A mother's wish -- Makombo -- Training and communications -- The ones we were waiting for -- Black and white -- Zebras -- General Zia's river rafts -- Danger and grace -- Red zone -- Leather shoes and radios -- Iron lady from Texas -- Non-negotiables -- Al dente -- Impossible terms -- Drone -- Secrets -- In at half -- Impossible cause -- Use the force -- Operation Viper -- Flight manifest -- Camp Bondo -- Dance for Saint Jude -- Not in our interests -- Contact -- Kia -- Crocodiles and killer bees -- Father, daughter -- Horse laxatives -- Called out -- The sheriff -- Coined -- Lighthouse -- Otukene means grace -- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich -- Tracking White Ant -- Okema's teeth -- Binany's GPS -- Operation Merlin -- What is good -- Cut the snake off the head -- Odhiambo the butcher -- Blue-eyed Acholi -- Let your heart speak to you -- A son never forgets -- Brother, you are home -- Grace's sun -- He calls himself Ali -- Evil has taught me the most.
Subjects:
Davis, Shannon Sedgwick.
Lord's Resistance Army.
STTEP (Private military company) -- History.
Human rights workers -- Uganda -- Biography.
Military assistance -- Uganda -- History -- 21st century.
Special forces (Military science) -- Uganda -- Training of.
Human rights workers -- United States -- Biography.
Military assistance, American -- History -- 21st century.
Insurgency -- Uganda.
Uganda -- History -- 1979-
Davis, Shannon Sedgwick.
Lord's Resistance Army.
STTEP (Private military company) -- History.
Human rights workers -- Uganda -- Biography.
Military assistance -- Uganda -- History -- 21st century.
Special forces (Military science) -- Uganda -- Training of.
Human rights workers -- United States -- Biography.
Military assistance, American -- History -- 21st century.
Insurgency -- Uganda.
Uganda -- History -- 1979-
ISBN:
9780812995923
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
BIOGRAPHY Davis, Shannon | Main (Downtown) | Third Level, Biography | In |