Enemy Lines: Warfare, Childhood, and Play in Batticaloa

by Margaret Trawick

Enemy Lines captures the extraordinary story of boys and girls coming of age during a civil war. Margaret Trawick lived and worked in Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka, where thousands of youths have been recruited into the Sri Lankan armed resistance movement known as the Tamil Tigers. This compelling account of her experiences is a powerful exploration of how children respond to the presence of war and how adults have responded to the presence of children in this conflict. Her beautifully written account, which includes voices of the teenagers and young adults who have joined the Tamil Tigers, brings alive a region where childhood, warfare, and play have become commingled in a world of continuous uncertainty.

Genres: Anthropology

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Xiaowei]

It seems the author was never capable of truly understanding the logic of love, hatred, morality and bravery of the combants, nor did she made self-reflection on her status of a western scholar opposed to people in Sri Lenka, nor is the post-colonial situation faced by the islanders subject to a extensive examination. Though some descriptions are strucking and informative, obviously more can be expected from the book.

[Sandra Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book extremely affecting. I'd have liked to have a follow up, to find out what happened to the children she writes about, as I found myself becoming very attached to them. She writes well and engagingly about a difficult and controversial subject.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the Tamil Tigers before I read this. I know very little still. The author, because she already speaks Tamil from her work as an anthropologist in India, was able to live in a Tiger neighborhood. She writes about the role of children in the conflict. The author seems ambivalent about the people she spends time with and the conflict they are part of. The book is more about the anthropologist and her experience there than about the Tamil Tigers.

[Lauren]

Gives a dynamic portrait of the motivations and history behind violent actions many might deem as terrorism, but otherwise make no attempts at understanding. Completely changed my worldview to actually empathize with those who have resorted to violence and how they rationalize their actions.