The Bite of the Mango

The Bite of the Mango

• Genre: Nonfiction; biographical memoir
• Originally Published: 2008
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 800L; grades 9-12; College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 22 chapters; approx. 224 pages; approx. 6 hours, 31 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: Mariatu Kamara is 11 and lives in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. In a time of unrest and war, Mariatu almost dies when young rebel soldiers attack her and cut off her hands. This memoir tells the story of Mariatu’s struggle to survive and determination to heal.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: War, violence, and death; graphic and traumatic injury; rape and adolescent pregnancy; refugee conflicts; attempted suicide; slavery; drug abuse; female circumcision (Content Warning: The Teaching Unit and linked resources also include references to some of these topics.)

Mariatu Kamara and Susan McClelland, Authors

• Bio: Mariatu Kamara witnessed civil war and violence in 1990s Sierra Leone, surviving its devastating effects; she later emigrated to England, then Canada. She served as a UNICEF representative and a speaker for organizations that strive to help those impacted by war and violence, and she later started a foundation to assist women and children in Sierra Leone. Susan McClelland is an award-winning author and journalist who lives in Toronto, Canada.
• Other Works: By Susan McClelland: Every Fallen Star (2016); Boy from Buchenwald (2021); Funny Gyal (2022)
• Awards: American Library Association Nonfiction YA Book of the Year (shortlisted; 2009); CBC’s Young Canada Reads (2009); a YALSA Popular Paperbacks pick for Young Adults (2009); National Parenting Publications Award (2009); IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities (2009)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• Disability and Independence
• A Sense of Belonging
• The Loss of Childhood Innocence
• The Will to Live and the Desire to Die

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the geographical, cultural, and historical context regarding human rights issues that incite Mariatu’s conflict.
• Analyze short paired texts and other resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Disability and Independence, The Loss of Childhood Innocence, and A Sense of Belonging.
• Design and construct a protest poster to protest the civil war conflict in Sierra Leone using details from the memoir.
• Analyze and evaluate the plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding Mariatu’s mother figures, symbolism, and other topics.