Imagine you were living in a country where a tyrant leader suddenly took control in a military coup and started to terrorize the population, leading to the torture and murder of many innocent citizens.
This story is written from the point of view of a young, East African Asian girl, Indira, who experiences the reign of terror that Idi Amin carried out in Uganda in the 1970s. She and her family are terrorized, along with many other ethnic minorities, during this time and are forced to leave their home and all that they know behind. It is also a story of how she, and her three young school friends, all from different cultures, manage to keep their tight bond, throughout all the trauma they endure and over the many years they are separated.
Indira and her family come to know the Lord Jesus, through the witness of these very special friends, and the Lord helps and protects them all through their various trials.
In Surviving the Reign of Terror, Mary Weeks Millard effectively uses the cross-generational retelling of historical events to paint a picture of life in Uganda before and during Idi Amin’s reign of terror, fifty years ago.
Surviving the Reign of Terror provides a fascinating insight into the impact of one man’s abuse of power on the lives of people in a country which is now rarely in the news. Yet, it is a relevant and poignant parallel to current world events to which children are regularly being exposed. I would recommend the book for children
at the crossover between primary and secondary education, as it deals with issues relating to transitional life changes and the fear of being bullied for being different, but also demonstrates that there can be hope in the direst of circumstances.
