All the Glimmering Stars

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, child abuse, and child death.

Phillip Bol, a sergeant in the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, waits with his men for the approaching Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They’re expecting an attack on their barracks, so they wait on the edge of a burned field with elephant grass beyond.

A flare goes up, lighting the grass before him. He sees dozens of children covered in shea butter and singing a hymn. The children in front are unarmed, their elbows linked as they clap and look to the sky. Behind them are children carrying AK-47s and rocket launchers. They open fire on Bol’s men as they exit the grass.

George Opoka takes his seven-year-old son, Anthony, with him to explore the area where they live in Uganda. He shows him important landmarks near their village, noting three tall trees and Awere Hill. However, he warns Anthony to never go on the hill because Joseph Kony preaches there.

That night, George shows Anthony the stars. He explains that if Anthony can memorize them, they’ll always serve as a guide for him in the dark. He then tells Anthony that he needs to remember to always be a good person as he grows up.