Shadows into Light: A Generation of Former Child Soldiers Comes of Age

by Theresa S. Betancourt, Moses Zombo (foreword)

A twenty-plus-year study of former child soldiers offers far-reaching insight into mental health and resilience after extreme trauma.

During the civil war that ravaged Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002, an estimated 20,000 children were forced to join the fighting. As villages were raided and youths rounded up, it was not uncommon for a child to be ordered to kill a friend, relative, or neighbor under threat of being killed themselves. The goal was to make it impossible for the captives to return home and be accepted back into their communities.

But when the conflict ended, many of the children did find their way home. Could they reintegrate after such extreme trauma? Theresa Betancourt and her collaborators in Sierra Leone launched a study of more than 500 boys and girls who had been pulled into the war, tracking them for over two decades. The results were despite everything they had suffered, this was not a lost generation. In fact, the most dominant trend over time was one of healing and increasing acceptance. The lives of the former child soldiers were shaped not just by their personal ordeals but also, crucially, by the responses of their families, peers, and broader communities. Filled with vivid personal stories, Shadows into Light describes heartbreak and despair but also remarkable triumphs made possible by layers of social support and encouragement.

Betancourt’s study provides unparalleled insight into the long-term psychological and developmental effects of family separation, war, and exposure to violence. The lessons go far beyond Sierra Leone’s tragedy, suggesting that we should, in general, think of children’s risk and resilience more as products of the post-trauma environment than as individual traits.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published January 21, 2025

Reviews

[Stephen Luippold · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply moved by Shadows into Light. Dr. Betancourt’s 22-years of research, and the powerful and poignant testimonies within these chapters, remind us that when given the care and attention needed, the resilience of the human spirit can be realized. Betancourt offers a rare and deep look into the lives of children who were exposed to severe trauma and its effects on development as they enter young adulthood. As a psychiatry nurse practitioner who has worked with traumatized children and those exposed to armed conflict, I strongly encourage all those interested in issues of social justice and who genuinely care for the welfare children affected by conflict to read Shadows into Light.

[jamison o'sullivan]

I'm allowed to mark this as read if I spent two years editing and proofing this, right?
(Theresa if you see this please send me my copy)