Most of the world engages one way or another in war or the preparation of war. For most people, the experience of war is remote and cushioned by comforting euphemisms-- sanitized with such terms as glory, struggle, patriotism, bravery, casualties, national security, collateral damage, victory, and defeat. However, the real essence of war is terror, dismemberment, chaos, and trauma. In the past 10 years, some 150 million children have been killed and another 150 million maimed in wars. The authors visited five of the world's war zones: Cambodia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, the Middle East, and Chicago. Chicago was included as an urban war zone riddled with crime, poverty, and drugs. The authors tell the stories of children who have seen and lived the unreal--children robbed of childhood. They discuss the domain of childhood, the role of ideology, and the broad social, economic, and cultural implications of war; they close with a message that all concerned persons can contribute somehow toward making the world a place where children can be children. 109 references, index