As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family & friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers many no older than children themselves attacked & tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands. Stumbling through the countryside Mariatu miraculously survived. The sweet taste of a mango her first food after the attack reaffirmed her desire to live but the challenge of clutching the fruit in her bloodied arms reinforced the grim new reality that stood before her. With no parents or living adult to support her & living in a refugee camp she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown. In this gripping & heartbreaking true story Mariatu shares with readers the details of the brutal attack its aftermath & her eventual arrival in Toronto. There she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage astonishing resilience & hope.