Quotes
“Lisa Shannon is known for the courage, grace, and love through which she brings to everyone’s attention the harshness and beauty of humanity experienced in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With a compassionate eye, she analyzes how ordinary individuals deal with that difficult reality. In Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunmen, Shannon shows the magic of her writing by taking the reader on that journey. It is a journey of the heart that everyone should read.” Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International and author of Between Two Worlds
“Shannon’s goal was to obtain first-person reports she could bring back
to the US of the brutality suffered in the region from Joseph Kony’s
Lord’s Resistance Army…Shannon’s
struggle was to make her work more than a ‘show,’ and she succeeds
brilliantly. This compelling narrative is not easily forgotten, nor are
the many people whose stories she collected. This is a valiant record of
the testimonies of vital witnesses; readers will not be able to look
away.” Booklist
“Shannon, an
international human rights activist and founder of the nonprofit Run for Congo
Women, tells the harrowing story of a Congolese family torn apart by the
ongoing threat of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army…A highly personal and
memorable story.” Kirkus Reviews
“In Mama Koko, Lisa Shannon has managed a rare feat of empathy: a
character who is so strong and centered and whose journey through
difficulty is not sentimental but a real and complicated transformation.
This is a small miracle of life and love that we can all believe in.
This is a lovely book and a deeply human one.” Chris Abani, author of Graceland
“Lisa Shannon drills down past the tawdry stereotypes to give the reader
privileged insight into part of the Congolese conflict, dealing in equal
measure with the humanity and the horror.” Jason Stearns, author of Dancing in the Glory of Monsters