JAMES HIGBIE

Designed for travelers and people living in Laos and Northeastern Thailand, this dictionary and phrasebook features the phrases and vocabulary of modern, spoken Lao. The two-way dictionary contains over 2,500 entries; the 49-section phrasebook provides practical cultural information and the means for communication in daily life and travel-related situations. Each Lao word is romanized, and pronunciation is indicated as well. The Lao language, also called Isan, has over 15 million speakers. • Romanized Lao • Pronunciation guide • Over 2,500 dictionary entries • Expanded English-Lao dictionary • Basic grammar • Essential phrases • Ideal for the traveler

In 1991 a brutal civil war broke out in Sierra Leone, a small country on the west coast of Africa. Masterminded by Muammar Qadda of Libya and Charles Taylor of Liberia, the war engulfed the poverty and corruption-ridden country for ten years. Notorious for "blood diamonds" and amputations, the war saw child soldiers murdering and mutilating civilians, and young people abducted to be ghters and sex slaves. Sierra Leone: Inside the War includes a detailed history of the civil war and narratives from over thirty Sierra Leoneans who witnessed or took part in the ghting, including child soldiers. Through the historical facts and the narrators words, readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the politics of the war, the motivations of the ghters, and the feelings and thoughts of people caught up in the tragic violence that swept through the country.