In Uzodinma Iweala's powerful debut novel, 'Beasts of No Nation,' we meet Agu, a young boy living in a West African country torn apart by civil war. When his father is killed and his village destroyed, Agu is forced to flee into the jungle where he is captured and conscripted into a guerrilla army led by a fearsome Commandant. Through Agu's raw and unforgettable voice, Iweala explores the horrifying transformation of a child into a soldier, depicting the brutal loss of innocence and the struggle to retain humanity amidst unimaginable violence and psychological trauma.