Out of Shadows

Out of Shadows
By Jason Wallace
Holiday House, 2011. 282 pgs. Young Adult

In 1983, Robert Jacklin and his parents have just moved to Zimbabwe, where the civil war has recently ended and Robert Mugabe's black government is in power. Sent to a boarding school for boys, Robert finds that many of the boys are unhappy with the new government and the idea of blacks being equal to whites, and they also resent the British for not fighting to keep Zimbabwe under the control of the whites. Robert, whose first friend at the school is black and who just relocated from England, is instantly an outsider, picked on and abused. When Ivan, one of the boys who was once his tormentor extends a hand of friendship, Robert begins to participate in the racist and violent acts of the group. Although he is uncomfortable with what his friends do, he also doesn't know how to stand up to them, but the day comes when he has to decide if he is content to do nothing.

This book is a horrifying look at the racism and violence in Zimbabwe and does much to explain the unrest in the country. For that reason, I find it a valuable book. However, I felt the ending, the author's note, and the historical note actually took away from that, focusing instead on Mugabe's failures as a leader. While that's certainly an important area to consider as well, it just seemed to gloss over how wrong these boys--including Robert--were. It's a harsh book, with language, cruelty, and violence, which could be disturbing to some readers.

AE