Overview

In 2000 Rye Barcott spent part of his summer living in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. He was a college student heading into the Marines, and he sought to better understand ethnic violence-something he would likely face later in uniform. He learned Swahili, asked questions, and listened to young people talk about how they survived in poverty he had never imagined. Anxious to help but unsure what to do, he stumbled into friendship with a widowed nurse, Tabitha Atieno Festo, and a hardscrabble community organizer, Salim Mohamed. Together, this unlikely trio built a non-governmental organization that would develop a new generation of leaders from within one of Africa's largest slums. Their organization, Carolina for Kibera (CFK), is now a global pioneer of the movement called Participatory Development, and was honored by Time magazine as a Hero of Global Health. CFK's greatest lesson may be that with the right kind of support, people in desperate places will take charge of their lives and create breathtaking change. Engaged in two seemingly contradictory forms of public service at the same time, Barcott continued his leadership in CFK while serving as a human intelligence officer in Iraq, Bosnia, and the Horn of Africa. Struggling with the intense stress of leading Marines in dangerous places, he took the tools he learned building a community in one of the most fractured parts of Kenya and became a more effective counterinsurgent and peacekeeper. It Happened on the Way to War is a true story of sacrifice and courage and the powerful melding of military and humanitarian service. It's a story of what America's role in the world could be.

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9781608192175

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&#8220;Rye Barcott is one of those rare people who can bridge the widest divides with ease. This book is a gift. It isn't just about war or development or Africa or the Marines&#8212;it's about our common humanity and the power of one committed person to mobilize others and make a difference. It's a heartwarming story, and I finished it with amazement&#8212;and even a sense of peace.&#8221;&#160;&#8212;Nathaniel Fick, author of the New York Times bestseller One Bullet Away &#160;&#8220;A gritty, powerful and profound story by one of the most admirable men I've ever interviewed.&#8221;&#160;&#8212;Lisa Mullins, Chief Anchor, Public Radio International's The World &#160; <p>&#8220;Inspirational.&#160; A magnificent example that the pen that is&#160;truly mightier than the sword.&#8221; &#8212; Michael Holman Former Financial Times Africa&#160;Editor and author of Last Orders at Harrods <p>&#8220;Kafka once said that a book should be like an axe for the frozen sea of the heart. I

Author Information

Rye Barcott founded the renowned non-governmental organization Carolina for Kibera (CFK) with Salim Mohamed and Tabitha Atieno Festo while he was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduation, he served as a Marine for five years on active duty. In 2006 ABC World News named then Captain Barcott a Person of the Week and Person of the Year for his dual service to Kibera and the Marine Corps. As a Reynolds Social Entrepreneurship Fellow, he earned master's degrees in business and public administration from Harvard University. He is currently a member of the World Learning Board of Trustees and a TED Fellow living in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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