I, Charles, from the Camps: A Novel by Joel D. Hirst

A stunningly brilliant, thought-provoking work of literature…

Charles Agwok is a black boy born in Uganda and lives in a refugee camp with his parents and siblings. While most of those refugees population is content to live a life of hunger, desolation, and utter poverty, Charles has dreams. Circumstances make him leave his camp and his family behind. What ensues is one man’s journey of becoming someone else driven by hunger, poverty, and greed—making difficult choices and killing his conscience entirely on the way. This book is not for the faint-hearted – it has rape, murder, and violence depicted in a cruel way. The plot, the story, the characterization is first-rated. Joel brilliantly weaves the story of Charles’s transition from Charles Agwok to Okot making I, Charles, from the Camps: A Novel a fine piece of literature.