Review of Drone Child: A Novel of War, Family and Survival

[Erin Dydek]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Drone Child: A Novel of War, Family and Survival" by David H. Rothman.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The following is a re-review of Drone Child: A Novel of War, Family and Survival by David H. Rothman.

When coerced into serving in a terrorist organization, 15-year-old Lemba Adula has no choice but to obey his superiors or watch his parents die. The brilliant teen has a knack for learning technology and internet hacks, strengthening his talent for piloting drones. While Lemba dreams of using his skills for the greater good of his fellow Congolese people, the vile nature of the Purification Army leaders' tasks threatens to take away everything he holds dear. How will Lemba escape from the gun-worshipers who threaten his loved ones? And what effect will his time under their influence have on his promising future? Read Drone Child by David H. Rothman to learn these answers.

The foundation of a future full of hope and inspirational vision lies within the pages that share Lemba's heart-wrenching story. I loved how the author used this fictional memoir to open this reader's eyes to some of the devastations that face the Congolese people and the child soldiers used to propel the heinous agendas of terrorists. From the first page, the author uses the charming and lovable Lemba to reassure the reader that there is a happy ending despite the horrors of his tale. In this vein, the author revealed the heart of the issues he highlighted while removing the goriest details and establishing a fictional near-future context to set the foundation of this well-paced novel. He also used Lemba's inner conflict to lay out the possibilities of technology in both the hands of evil versus its use in the hands of those who wish to do good.

I appreciated how this book shared an engaging story about the Congolese people and how the author followed up with his research and personal note. I enjoyed reading the Author's Note and learning about the topic that inspired the book and the truths he aimed to portray in his writing. Beyond this section of the book, the author also provided an extensive list of questions that would enable in-depth discussions of the themes and concepts outlined in the story.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this excellent fictional memoir, and there was nothing that I disliked. Since this is a re-review of the book, I can confirm that Rothman corrected the typos I noticed in my first reading. The 187-page book was thoroughly edited, and I rate Drone Child four out of four stars.

Despite the content taking darker turns, the author carefully guided the reader through the worst of it tactfully and sensitively kept the story fascinating, eye-opening, and available to a broader range of readers. Therefore, I would recommend this book to mature teen readers and adults interested in the outcome of one 15-year-old's exploits as a child soldier and what became of him as he grew up. The book further includes the topic of sex slavery and covers some traumatic events related to the death of many innocent people but does not contain foul language or erotic content.

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Drone Child: A Novel of War, Family and Survival
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[Adaeze Joan]

This book has an interesting plot. For a boy of 15, Lemba is quite smart. This book is definitely a must read for me. Excellent job on the review.

[Aisha Yakub]

Great to see that this is a better update.

[Itz Savaga]

Great review. I would love to see the rest of this book in other to get a full detail about the life of Lemba Adula. Thanks for this review.

[Christopherio]

A show of technological advances and inputs in books are rare and exciting, creating a debate on the use of technology for evil or for good and exploring the notion that technological advancements could be a disadvantage rather than an advantage if it falls into the wrong hands. Thanks for the review.

[Ay Obaj]

I love it when books storyline are constructed perfectly, and contains every single element of thrill. A book like this will surely wow any reader. Thanks for a honest review.

[Fanny Chansa]

This book sounds great i will have to read it and find out what happened to Lemba,if he was able to escape and help he's fellow Congolese. Nice review

[Majid Gulzar]

A demonstration of mechanical advances and contributions to books are interesting and invigorating, making a discussion on the utilization of innovation for evil or for good and investigating the idea that innovative progressions could be a weakness instead of a benefit assuming it falls into some unacceptable hands.

[Charity Drennen]

Thank you for writing such a great review, I do hope to see this book on shelves soon as I'd like to read it very much.

[Madu Abigail]

Anticipating what happened to Lemba Adula in this book. Nice review

[Ibunyi]

Lemba is such an excruciating character man! I would want to finish this book soon.

[Lantana Mohammed Shani]

Woow,Lemba is really amazing and smart in everything, I can't wait to finish reading this book.

[Joyce Nwaogazie]

This inspiring book is worth the read, the author made the plot awesomely constructed. Thanks for a nice review.

[Penny Ann Criswell Johnson]

This book sounds amazing! I love the idea of a good ending. A book about a fifteen-year-old’s story of trials and victories sounds interesting. Great review!

[Penny Ann Criswell Johnson]

This book sounds amazing! I love the idea of a good ending. A book about a fifteen-year-old’s story of trials and victories sounds interesting. Great review!