A Gift for Failure

This story animates a post-conflict community called Majo town—where a primary school established by the Catholic Church is struggling to provide education for children traumatized by the civil war. The book time travels through the mind of a 13-year-old boy, Vandi, who must confront the challenges in his ho me and school environments to succeed with his classwork.

The Author

Melvin Sharty was born to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Liberian father whose lives crossed apart due to the long-decade civil wars in both countries. Melvin went to Holy Trinity Junior and Secondary School in Kenema before moving to Freetown to study for a BA in History and Sociology at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He holds a Master of Global Affairs with concentration in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Melvin enjoys cooking, drawing, playing piano, and football.