Lisa ShannonReseñas

I did enjoy this book though there were times I thought the author needed a lesson in how to deal with people but I do think she learned it the hard way. This was interesting and enlightening on how it is in the Congo. What a sad situation over there.

I love this book! It has inspired me in many ways. It's amazing how one woman can do so much. One million starts with one. Love it!

I have difficulty reading memoirs of Western women experiencing the reality of violence in the global South. I have no right to say this, mind you. I am a Western woman...a white woman on top of that. I tread lightly in what I am about to say, mainly because I know that I could be labeled a hypocrite. With that danger in mind, I will proceed to trumpet the efforts and determination of Congolese women. I have been to the eastern Kivu provinces and while I learned much, what I learned most of all is that Western women need to stop depicting Congolese women as victims. Shannon's account does bring out the strength of women...but not the strength that shows that Congolese women are organized, they do fight against what is happening, they do rescue each other, they are capable of running NGO's, hospitals, schools, food pantries...all without manipulating and asking for money in a constant stream as Shannon writes. I want to scream at the top of my lungs to Eve Ensler, Alice Walker, and others to STOP!!!!!!! Congolese women have always been politically active and committedly strong throughout the country's long history of adversity. There are AMAZING grassroots women's organizations that are struggling to compete with Shannon, Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, and other Western-run, international orgs for money. The DRC is the country of the Congolese...they insist they have the knowledge and the ability to stop the war and rebuild. That is the story I want to hear. I want to hear about the Congolese women in Portland, Oregon (THEY ARE THERE, I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THEM, THEY HAVE ORGANIZED TO HELP THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY BACK HOME), who have organized to run a marathon to send money to the DRC - not Shannon. Strangely, Congolese organizations in the U.S. are never heard from. Perplexing to say the least.

I can say with confidence that this is one of the most abysmal books I've ever read. I read this last year and am just now writing a review on account of how angry it made me. If you're looking for a prime example of self-important white people traveling to war-torn nations they know nothing about to save the helpless, suffering villagers with their money and whiteness, this is the book for you. Our great hero sees an Oprah special on the brutalities taking place in the DR of the Congo and decides she is the perfect person to make a difference in this dark place! Lisa Shannon raises some money by running 30 miles and then sets off for a dangerous country she knows nothing about and doesn't speak one word of the language in order to save the Congolese women by giving out hugs and cash. Tack onto this a few poorly translated and butchered Swahili phrases that she was too lazy to check the spelling of and a seemingly endless list of specific atrocities she essentially bullies women into revealing to her and we arrive at Shannon's dismal, embarrassing memoir.

I finished Lisa J. Shannon’s Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunman a week ago and have spent a good chunk of the time since then mulling over what, exactly, I have to say about the book. The subject matter is timely; the author has done important work on behalf of Congolese women.

The history of Congo since its “discovery” has been brutal. For some three decades, Congo was unique in being the only African colony owned by a private individual: King Leopold of Belgium. Leopold’s Congo was a hell of forced labor on rubber plantations. “Control” of native Congolese was documented through the removal, collection, and counting of Congolese hands. Yes, hands. Over the course of Leopold’s rule, the population of Congo fell by perhaps as much as one-third. After an international campaign to end Leopold’s rule there, Congo became a colony of Belgium in 1908.

Congo achieved independence in 1960. After more than a century of occupation and uncompensated export of Congo’s resources, independence presented significant challenges. Although Congo had a population of roughly 15.25 million at that time, Shannon notes that “When the Congolese people gained their independence… only nineteen Congolese people had college degrees and fewer than fourteen thousand were enrolled in secondary school.” Congo’s first democratically elected president, Patrice Lamumba was killed in 1961, most likely with CIA cooperation motivated by the growing ties between Congo and the Soviet Union.

The history of Congolese independence is one of constant civil war. Multiple guerilla militias have preyed upon the Congolese people, most recently Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). In 2005 Kony and four other members of the LRA were indicted by the international criminal court for crimes against humanity, including genocide, forced relocation of populations, child sexual slavery, and the use of child soldiers. It is this Congo in which Shannon’s narrative takes place.

Shannon is the founder of Run for Congo Women, a series of thirty-mile runs held in multiple locations with the goal of raising awareness of and support for Congolese women. Her first book, 2010’s A Thousand Sisters, tells of her experiences visiting Congolese villages and interviewing women affected by the violence.

Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunman chronicles Shannon’s second trip to Congo. Along with her friend Francisca Thelin, she travels to Thelin’s home village of Dungu. While the women’s purposes are complimentary, they are different enough to create a tension that lies in the heart of this book. Thelin, whose family has lost members to the LRA, is more interested in a visit home to spend time reconnecting with her remaining family members. Shannon is determined to document the recent violence using Thelin as an interpreter to such an extent that Thelin has much less time with her family than she’s hoped. In addition, Shannon’s and Thelin’s experiences documenting the violence are significantly different in that Thelin is related to nearly every Congolese individual interviewed. Unlike Shannon, for Thelin, these aren’t “just” atrocities—they’re family stories.

Because of Shannon’s and Thelin’s competing purposes, I felt distinctly uncomfortable reading the book at times. Shannon notes when Thelin is a less-than-enthusiastic interpreter and records Thelin’s repeated requests for more family time. Yes, these stories need to be told, but it feels wrong to have their telling depend a woman who has already lost so much to the conflicts in Congo.

That said, one of the strengths of Shannon’s book is that it offers more than a series of descrptions of atrocities. Shannon provides historical background to contextualize the current state of Congo. She also provides suggestions about how readers can contribute to the movement for peace and justice in Congo. Among the groups she highlights are Invisible Children, the Enough Project, Resolve, and Women for Women International.

In a way, the tension at the heart of this book feels appropriate. It feels right that the process of gathering this information should be uncomfortable and that Shannon documents this discomfort so carefully, even at the risk of making herself less appealing to readers.

I love this book! It has inspired me in many ways. It's amazing how one woman can do so much. One million starts with one. Love it!

Listened to the audio book of this one...it was good! I would like to go back and read the book still to see what I missed while listening.

Listened to the audio book of this one...it was good! I would like to go back and read the book still to see what I missed while listening.

Horrific interviews with women who had been raped in The Congo by Rwandan militias going after the Hutus who fled to Congo after the Rwandan war and also by the Congolese army. The brutality of what they did to the women after the rapes and because they were gang-raped is unspeakable and should be punished. I thought the author injected herself into the book too much which was a little annoying. However, she showed tremendous courage going there, interviewing the women raped and often in remote and inhospitable territory and telling the story no one wants to talk about or hear. This is a heartbreaking story.

This memoir will appeal to a broad range of women for a variety of reasons. Going from the comfort of home in the U.S. to the Congo is not the way most would seek/find a new purpose in life. A well-written book that has hopefully raised awareness of the atrocities and broader women's issues among readers. I highly recommend the book.

Lisa Shannon traveled from Portland Oregon to Democratic Republic of Congo to encounter and attempt to change the lives of women. The tales of rape and torture that she reports are mind numbing and horrible. It is hard to doubt that this is indeed one of the worst places on the planet to be a woman. The story itself is very readable and very engaging. In the end we can't help feel, with the author, uncomfortable about her role as a rich (compared to the women she works with) patron. She tires of being hit up for money, but is unable to stop giving. The disturbances she creates attempting to make a difference in another culture are awkward and uncomfortable, and she is very honest about these challenges.

Her goal is to involve women everywhere in person to person connection with the women of Congo, as well as to change the policies that continue to feed the conflict, including the operations of mining interests extracting minerals needed for familiar technologies like cell phones. http://athousandsisters.org/

Among the most interesting explorations of the book for me were Shannon's conversations with and about the men involved in the violence. Without justifying in any way, we get a sense of how the years of conflict have brutalized child soldiers and young men to the point where they will kill, torture and rape for less than nothing... because they want salt, because they want money, because someone told them to do so. Says one soldier, repeating estimates made by official sources, some 70% or 80% of the militia members, boys and young men, would leave the militia if they could, so miserable are the conditions and so much do they hate the life of poverty and violence that they live. It appears that a very few hard core dedicated individuals may be continuing to sustain the violence on a massive scale.

This is a rich tale, on many levels.

I really wanted to like this book, but sad to say, the cover pulled out more emotion/connection than the entire book. This is due to the author, not whom she writes about. Just as I would begin to forget, the priviledged suburban heel-wearing coffee sipper would make another appearance.

I am so shocked by what I read, and ashamed I knew nothing of this topic before reading Lisa Shannon's book about the women in the Congo. I thought it was wonderfully clever how Lisa Shannon intertwined her own story, the story of the sisters of the story behind the politics and history of the Congo. It was an inspiring mix of stories that kept me turning the pages well into the night, and allowed me to appreciate my own life for all I have to be grateful for. Thank Ms. Shannon, and to all of the brave women of the Congo who have endured against terrible odds to share their stories.

This is going to come across as heartless to some people, but I had mixed feelings about this book. First, I must applaud the author, Lisa Shannon for setting aside a pretty comfortable life to travel to the Congo of Africa for 5 weeks and meet these women in need. Also, this is a situation that needs to be made known to the rest of the world.

The women of Congo are dealing with not only mass genocide of their villages, but also mass rape. It's so bad, they have a hospital full of women suffering from fistula. (I would rather not explain what that is.) They all have tales of suffering and despite the fact that their tales were so similar the book grew repetitive, this book gives them a voice.

I had three issues preventing me from giving this 5 stars. 1. I didn't buy this book to learn about Lisa Shannon (No offense intended to her) and the parts about her fiance, the man named "D", and her father's death were not necessary and didn't interest me. 2. More in depth information would be nice about the African people's beliefs and culture. Why are they in the situation they are in? What made them this way? I not only want their sob stories, but I want to know what is going thru their heads. I found myself thinking, "Ok.. You are broke, you have eight children and one in the womb and why do you keep this up, woman? Four of your children will be raped and suffer fistula and the other four will probably rape and pillage to save their own sorry arses." I dont' get it. What is going on in their heads? I read the political stuff, I want the personal stuff. 3. I realize Lisa Shannon and the others are trying to help the women of Congo, but is making the women dependent on the U.S. dollar the answer? Anyone ever heard the saying, "Give a man a fish, feed him for day. Teach him how to fish, feed him for a lifetime..?"

I found this book took a long time to read, not beacause of the difficulty of the text (the author wrote in a very accesible style) but because of the content. I found I had to set it down frequently and digest what I had read. With that said, it isn't necessarily gory, but shocking in it's brutality. We need to be aware of what is happening to people in other parts of the world. I can't fathom why we accept the evening news reporting on celebrity gossip (Tiger Woods, Michael jackson, Anna Nicole Smith, et. al.) when there is actual news to report. Thank goodness for Lisa Shannon and her willingness to visit Congo and come back to share what she found there. Once you we know we can't turn away, no matter how uncomfortable we feel. Ms. Shannon humanized statistics and has given us all a call to action.