Secrets in the Fire - Henning Mankell

Henning Mankell is a Swedish author, who divides his time between Sweden and Mozambique. While on one of his trips to Africa, he met a woman named Sofia Alface, who forms the basis for this book. While this book is fiction, it is largely based on Sofia's life. Sofia was driven from her childhood home after "bandits" came and killed her father and sibling. Sofia's mother, Sofia, and her older sister and younger brother all travelled across the country, and eventually settled in a new village. After living in the new village for a few weeks (or maybe months), Sofia accidentally left the worn path between work and home, and stepped on a landmine. Sofia's older sister later died from her injuries from the blast, and Sofia lost both of her legs from the mine.

This book is about how Sofia recovered, and her enduring spirit in showing others how to treat adversity. She ultimately got two new legs, and returned to her village.

The book is written for teen audiences, so it reads exceptionally fast (I think I finished it in a day). The story, however, is compelling. There's also a post-script from a land-mine NGO, offering several facts and figures about the threat of landmines today. There is a subsequent book about Sofia, also by Mankell, that chronicles her life after her return to the village. I strongly urge anyone to read the book - if nothing more than to learn about the threat of landmines.