In Cold Water: Women and Girls of Lira, Uganda, the women retell their
horrifying experiences in northern Uganda during the 1987-2007 civil war
and life after the war. In that war, Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance
Army disrupted lives, destroyed settlements, killed, abducted and raped
thousands of children. The contributing authors not only recall the
hopelessness felt during the war, but also narrate stories of hope and
resilience after the war. Every page is crammed with emotional
recollections of personal experiences. The stories show how communities
can be rebuilt even where hope seems to be lost. The book makes public
the trauma, courage and triumph of the remarkable women of Lira. The
women's words are the cold water that provides cool relief to
experiences of pain through the retelling of stories of endurance in the
struggle that makes life better after the war. The authors demonstrate
the importance of culture and cultural values in transcending trauma.
The resilience of the women of Lira is rooted in their beliefs in their
community, their religion and solidarity of women. They also describe
international efforts to empower young women to make meaning of their
lives, relationships and hopes after the trauma.
