How did you respond to the violence portrayed in the novel – both of the war and against the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) community?
Created: 08/26/16
Replies: 9
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3442
Join Date: 06/11/11
Posts: 6
Violence against any human being at any time is horrific. Wars bring out the worst in some people and they feel they have the "license" to do atrocious things to others. The same is true of those who use religion to judge and punish others for being LGBTQ. I was horrified by the violence but know that it happens.
Join Date: 05/29/15
Posts: 460
War is war and reading about it always reminds us of the worse of humanity. The violence against the LGBTQ community was just horrific and stayed with me long after I read the last line in the book.
Join Date: 08/01/16
Posts: 70
Join Date: 02/18/15
Posts: 497
I think we sometimes accept war. We are constantly bombarded with pictures of the war in the Middle East, and the war and starvation that goes with it in Africa. I hate to say we become hardened to that type of war. When we see the torture and abuse that individuals suffer because of there religion or their sexual beliefs, I think it becomes more personalized. While the characters in the story that were tortured and burned alive, were not main characters I felt we knew them. We were sitting in that bunker and listening to the screams and feeling the pain and fear of ijeoma.
Join Date: 06/13/11
Posts: 272
The war itself was not that surprising, having read about the boy soldiers in the Africa war. I was rather shocked at the way the woman was killed. But, is treating a group,of people who are different then us an different. Look at the recent shootings in the night club and other events. How many people attacked the LGBTQ group that night in the story. This raises a deeper question about human behavior.
Join Date: 12/03/11
Posts: 276
Violence is always upsetting. Sadly, Nigeria remains violent against the LQBTQ community. Being gay in Nigeria is a crime punishable by death, according to some Nigerians that I know personally (who live outside of Nigeria because they are gay).
Join Date: 05/16/16
Posts: 161
I honestly had no idea that this is the situation in Nigeria regarding the LGBTQ community. It reminds me of some violence we've had in the US, but there seems to be more acceptance now and less violent reactions. I hope that someday that same movement can happen in Nigeria. I'm not sure what will have to happen to move in that direction since religion is so strong there.
Join Date: 06/11/14
Posts: 80
I wasn't totally surprised but it is still difficult to read about it. I could never watch a movie of this book due to this violence. I would never be able to get the visions out of my head!
Join Date: 12/03/11
Posts: 276
LindaB, yes, it is hard to get the visions out of one's head even from reading the book. I agree that this would be a hard book to film (or of which to watch the film), but perhaps a necessary film to be made.
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