Off to War

Deborah Ellis (author)

Allen & Unwin, Canada: 2008; 174pp

ISBN: 978141756791

Genre: biography, war

Issues: family, social condition, values, war

‘My father is back in Iraq again now. It's his third time there. It's really sad that he's there and I miss him a lot. The worst part is all the scary things that could happen to him. He could be shot or blown up or be killed or come back really hurt or different, and it can be really hard to keep those thoughts from taking over my brain sometimes.' Dylan, 11

Deborah Ellis is probably best know for the Parvana trilogy, a reality-based story of a girl growing up in Afghanistan under the harsh rule of the Taliban. Off To War has a similar anti-war theme and an equal interest in how children are affected by war. This time it's the children of the western soldiers - the ‘army brats' as they call themselves in Canada and America - who live with the knowledge that at least one of their parents is serving in an active war zone. The book comprises the summarised interviews of children ranging between 6 and 17 years of age, from twenty-seven different families, including one Australian child. While it is obvious from the responses that a certain set of questions was asked, the questions are not directly stated. The common ground is how each child feels about their parent serving in a war zone, as well as how their opinions about the war in question and the differences between being an ‘army brat' and what the children refer to as ‘normal'. At times difficult to read, given some of the stories, this is a valuable collection of children's opinions and experiences that should be required reading for history students and politicians, amongst others.

Ellis' strong pacifist attitude is well-known from her earlier work but in this book she allows the children to speak for themselves, giving a voice to those who often don't have one. A range of opinions are shared but it is noticeable that few of the ‘army brats' are interested in joining the armed forces themselves - they are too aware of the trauma it inflicts of families and the distress it can cause soldiers. There is a tremendous respect for and pride in their parents but the children, even the older ones, have very strong opinions on the nature of war, although most also indicate an understanding of a country's need for armed forces.

Thought-provoking and emotive, this collection of interviews would serve well for studies in ethics, values and civics, as well as history. Parallel reading could include Free? Stories Celebrating Human Rights (Walker) and Guantanomo Boy (Anna Perera).