All the Glimmering Stars

Three days later, Anthony arrives at Kony’s camp. Kony’s head of security, Yango, shows Anthony around, explaining dozens of rules about where to sleep, where to walk, and when Kony needs to make transmissions.

The next day, Anthony walks with Kony and his men. He’s overwhelmed by feelings of fear and doubt over his ability to do the job. However, he starts remembering what Mabior told him. He begins to recognize the voices of suffering within himself. He tries to remain calm, practicing the breathing exercises that Mabior showed him and pushing the voices aside.

Anthony watches as Kony interacts with his wives. He begins to wonder if Kony cares at all about his army, as he seems only interested in his wives. Their open conversations about sex make him uncomfortable, especially since he’s forbidden to ever be with a woman as a soldier.

That night, Kony tells his wives and his commanders how impressed he is with Anthony. He insists that Anthony could become a “big person,” noting how he’s smart, calm, and the best caller in his army (166).

Fourteen-year-old Florence is on break from school. She still hasn’t received her test results. The longer she waits, the more she doubts that her results will be good.

Shouting awakens Florence in the middle of the night, and a man with a machine gun drags her from her bedroom. He pushes her out into the night and threatens to kill her if she cries.

Florence is forced to walk for hours in darkness. At first light, she sees her brother, Owen, and her cousin, Jasper. The captives are tied together at the waist and forced to march. Those who stumble are beaten. They come across a group of women washing clothes, who quickly disperse when they see the soldiers. One of the men, Oyet, gives Florence a shirt to wear.

As the men start to make camp, one spots Ugandan Army soldiers in the distance. Oyet runs to the group of girls. He asks Florence her name, and she lies, saying it’s “Betty.” He cuts her and the other girls free, telling them to run. However, before Florence can go, mortars explode around her. She gets lost in the smoke and confusion, eventually reaching a river. There, she meets a girl her age named Palmer and an older man named Paul.

The three of them run into a nearby field and wait for night to fall. In the morning, they make their way through a sugar cane field. However, when they reach a home, they see Oyet, several other soldiers, and a handful of captives—including Owen and Jasper—waiting on the front porch.

Recaptured, Florence walks through the night and into the next day without food. They reach a rendezvous point with other LRA soldiers and more than 100 captives, and Florence collapses into the grass from exhaustion.

That night, the LRA soldiers tell them that it’s time for them to be “registered.” They start with a 10-year-old boy, lashing him 20 times with a cane. They then do the same to each of the captives, assigning them different numbers based on their gender, age, and strength.

Florence is whipped 45 times. She’s initially not sure that she can withstand it but finds “a place of harsh comfort” (181) in her anger that allows her to go numb. Afterward, she helps the recruits care for their wounds, realizing that they all risk infection. She then falls asleep on the ground.

The next morning, Florence wakes up when she feels something being dropped on her. She opens her eyes and sees Oyet walking away, having left a dress for her to replace her bloodied T-shirt.

The soldiers again tie up the children and force them to walk for most of the day. Florence isn’t sure she can make it: The pain from carrying a radio is too much for her injured back. However, thinking of her mother carrying her home from the hospital gives her the strength to keep going.

Near Ngomoromo, the Ugandan Army again attacks the LRA soldiers and recruits. Oyet cuts Florence and those around her free, telling them to run forward across a stream and up a hill. After three hours of battle, nine LRA soldiers and 350 recruits—about half of the original number—are killed.

Deep into Southern Sudan, the group enters a heavily wooded area. Florence hears commotion behind her and sees Owen struggling to keep up. When he collapses, a soldier orders the captives behind him to step on him as they pass. Florence looks away as she hears the recruits moving. Eventually, she hears a gunshot.

Over the three months as Kony’s radioman, Anthony begins to feel like he has earned his place. He receives praise for his radio skills, his calm under pressure, and his ability to navigate by the stars.

Anthony is told to send a message out demanding 4,000 new recruits. He’s overcome with rage and considers attacking Kony himself. However, fearing for his life, he sends out the message.

Florence arrives at the LRA camp with Jasper, Palmer, and the other surviving children. Palmer calls her “Betty,” as Oyet does, but Florence doesn’t bother to correct her.

The children are divided by gender. Florence and the other girls bathe and then receive clean clothes and food. They meet introduced to Fatima, who warns them about the importance of following the camp rules. They’re told to undress and line up while LRA soldiers inspect them. One old man stops before them and introduces himself as Okaya. He tries to touch Palmer’s breast, but she swats his hand away.

Later, Florence and Palmer are told that they’ll be taken by Okaya, so they prepare to go to his compound. However, when the time comes for them to leave, Captain Oyet arrives. He tells them that Okaya has been sent south to battle, so Palmer and Florence will stay with him until Okaya’s return.

Over the next several weeks, Florence undergoes training with the LRA while living in Oyet’s compound. She’s skilled with weapons and ammunition, so she spends weeks helping transport weapons. She spends the rest of her time working in the fields with Palmer.

Okaya returns from the south. He comes to retrieve Palmer and Florence to take them back to his compound, where they’re greeted by his primary wife, Mariama. The girls spend much of their time doing chores for her.

After a few weeks, Mariama comes to Palmer and Florence’s room at night. She tells them that Okaya wishes to spend the night with one of them. However, they tell her that they’re menstruating.

A couple of days later, Mariama pulls Palmer and Florence from their beds. She takes them outside, where Okaya waits with his six other wives and two soldiers. Mariama pulls off Palmer’s clothes, revealing that they lied. Angry, Okaya has the two soldiers beat both girls until they’re unconscious.

Two weeks later, after Florence and Palmer have healed, Mariama comes to them again. Palmer goes to Okaya’s bed the first night, and Florence goes the next, where they’re forced to have sex with him. Over the next eight days, they alternate spending the night with him. However, on the ninth day, they’re told that Okaya has again gone to battle. They’re sent to help at a nearby field hospital.

Anthony is sent to a battle near Jebel Lem, an area that the Dinka need as a major supply route. Thousands of soldiers die, including many signal callers, leaving Anthony in charge of all radio communication.

In a trench, Anthony is joined by Patrick and his brother, Albert (whom Anthony hasn’t seen in years). Captain Oyet arrives, demanding that Anthony join him on the frontline to serve as Okaya’s radioman. However, an explosion kills both Okaya and Oyet, and Anthony is shot in the shoulder. Patrick again helps him survive, taking him to the field hospital.

The narrative then shifts to April 13 in Nesitu, where Florence is working at the hospital. She now goes by the name “Nurse Betty,” and she and the other nurses are overwhelmed by the wounded coming from Jebel Lem. As she rushes around getting supplies, she learns that Kony is visiting.

Having never seen Kony before, Florence is excited and nervous. She expects him to be a giant man, capable of holding four spirits within him. However, when she sees him, she’s disappointed at his size. Her disappointment then turns to anger as Kony laughs and jokes in front of all the wounded men. She watches as he goes up to Anthony and praises his work. When Kony looks at Florence, she can feel his “energy” as it “shift[s] her anger at him to fright” (229).

Florence leaves Kony to fetch more supplies. She runs into Palmer again, who excitedly tells her that they’re officially “widows.” Kony spoke with her and the others to express his grief over the loss of their husbands. To thank them, Kony will allow them to choose their own husbands instead of having another distribution.