First Kill Your Family

For twenty years, the Lord's Resistance Army, led by Joseph Kony, ravaged northern Uganda with the mission of establishing a government based on his bizarre blend of spiritualism and Christianity. A former witchdoctor and spirit medium, Kony claimed he not only could predict the future but could control the minds of his fighters. And control them he did: the LRA consisted of children abducted from their homes. As initiation, boys were forced to commit atrocities--murdering relatives and friends--and girls were forced into sexual slavery and labor. Journalist Peter Eichstaedt goes into the war-torn villages and refugee camps, talking to former child soldiers, child "brides," and other victims. Told through the voices of those who have suffered, the book chronicles how one of Africa's most promising nations has been torn apart by a bloody and senseless war that has gone largely unnoticed by the rest of the world.

Peter Eichstaedt is the Africa editor for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting in The Hague. He is a veteran journalist who has reported from locations worldwide, including Slovenia, Moldova, Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, and Uganda, and a former senior editor for Uganda Radio Network. He is the author of If You Poison Us: Uranium and Native Americans.

"Heartfelt ... A close analysis of [an] underreported crisis." -- Publishers Weekly "In-depth reporting ... an intimate spin." -- Kirkus Reviews "You must read this powerful book. Peter Eichstaedt has given voice to the victims of the largely unheard-of tragedy of Uganda. This story calls out to our very humanity." --Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu "A book filled with haunting images that leave one groping for answers." --Mac Maharaj, South African author and activist "This book is a call to action to help our brothers and sisters in Africa that we can no longer ignore." --John Dau, president, John Dau Sudan Foundation, and coauthor, God Grew Tired of Us: A Memoir "This fine firsthand account should be read by anyone seeking to grapple with the challenges of war and peace in coming decades." --Douglas Farah, author, Merchant of Death and Blood from Stones "In-depth reporting ... an intimate spin." -- Kirkus Reviews