Children at War
(Pantheon, 2005)
DESCRIPTION
Children at War is the first comprehensive book to examine the growing and global use of children as soliders. P.W. Singer, an internationally recognized expert in twenty-first-century warfare, explores how a new strategy of war, utilized by armies and warloads alike, has targeted children, seeking to turn them into soliders and terrorists.
Singer writes about how the first American serviceman killed by hostile first in Afganistan–a Green Beret–was shot by a fourteen-year-old Afghanistan boy; how an American Special Forces medic was killed by a grenade thrown by a fifteen-year-old al Qaeda recruit; how suspected militants detained by U.S. forces in Iraq included more than one hundred children under age of seventeen; and how hundreds who were taken hostage in Thailand were held captive by the rebel “God’s Army,” led by twelve-year-old twins.
AWARDS
2006 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Memorial Book of the Year Award
Accompanying articles in USA Today, The Financial Times, Jane’s Defense Weekly, Veteran’s Vision, and Newhouse News Service; Featured on Book TV (C-span), Fresh Air (NPR), and Fox and Friends (Fox)
Accompanying TV documentary, “Children at War” (A&E/History Channel, 2006)
REVIEWS
“P.W. Singer’s ‘Children at War’ is one of this year’s most important works on non-fiction.” The New Review*Starred Review* “[Such] abuse is first and best addressed by exposing it to world scrutiny, which this thoughtful and heartfelt book will do.” Booklist
“Highly Recommended” Choice
“Nowhere else is there a more compact, compelling portrait of this devastating problem that the world must not ignore.” Christian Science Monitor
“Singer’s book is unsettling but essential reading for military and political leaders…”Military Review
“Why? [are there child soldiers?] In his landmark new book Children at War, P.W. Singer begins to provide some answers.” Newsweek
“Fascinating…[A] heartfelt, valuable book …Singer has gathered his evidence masterfully.” New York Post
“Singer’s strength lies in the way that he has meticulously pulled together practically all the available evidence and research, whether from the human rights world, from reporters on the ground, or from academic studies.” New York Review of Books
“Groundbreaking and comprehensive…Activists will be aided by the diligent research and reasoned analysis.” Publishers Weekly
“An important book… Singer could not have chosen a more heart-wrenching subject, and he leads us carefully through this tender and brutal landscape…[He] is to be commended for drawing attention to the plight of child soldiers…” San Francisco Chronicle
“Children at War is not a book about numbers. It is the tragic story of a violent world and the desperate choices people are forced to make; it is an illuminating study of policy and the choices that face the international community.” St. Louis Post Dispatch
“Peter Singer’s book is essential reading for both military and counterterrorism practitioners. Military officers and senior NCOs engaged in peace enforcement and peacekeeping, non-combatant evacuation, constabulary and counterinsurgency operations should consider Singer’s book a primer for the threats they will face. Others engaged in small wars, military police, intelligence, civilian police deployed to constabulary operations (CIVPOL), and humanitarian aide workers and diplomats will find this useful, as will members of the police and security services responsible for counterterrorism duties. Reading this text should be a required element of “intelligence preparation for operations” in all failed states and “lawless zones.” Small Wars
“During in a period when scores of fine books on foreign policy and world affairs are being published, Peter W. Singer again gives us the first comprehensive analysis of a frightful new trend.” Sunday Gazette
“P.W. Singer’s eye-opening book serves as a platform to reassess perceptions of modern warfare. In it, he expresses truths that most people would hesitate to mention…Overall, it’s more than an interesting read –its an invaluable resource for the long term.” The Washingtonian
“In Children at War, P.W. Singer takes a step back to make a strong, comprehensive argument that the world dare not ignore…” The Washington Post
