Reviews

Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah

ovenbird_reads's review against another edition

4.0

Around the World: Sierra Leone.

shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition

Ishmael Beah, one of the Lost Boys, has written a novel about returning to one's home village after horrific genocide and civil war. First some old people return and begin the process of burying the dead and cleaning up the village. Then some families, parts of families, and many orphans return. All are mourning, learning forgiveness, surviving and attempting to create new lives under very difficult circumstances. I hope that the hardships caused by the new mining company are exaggerated but worry that they're not. Good, albeit disturbing, story.

preciousbodle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mg_in_md_'s review against another edition

4.0

Ishmael Beah's first novel draws on his own experiences growing up in a war-torn country (Sierra Leone) and the aftermath that follows the end of the fighting. The book shows how one town is slowly transformed and how the war's aftermath impacts the people who stayed and those who returned home after fleeing the violence. The story is heartbreaking yet hopeful, and illustrates the resilience and perseverance of people trying to move past unspeakable acts. Good intentions are evident but the reality of wars can be too much to overcome. One cannot help but wonder how the spark of hope remains in some of the characters but you will finding yourself willing them to succeed and optimistic that they will find a beautifully radiant tomorrow. One aspect of the story that I particularly enjoyed was how the author captured the essence of oral storytelling tradition. Beah discusses this in the prologue and why he felt it was so important to bring that element into this book -- it is not just a method for telling a story but also a cultural aspect. This novel will surely stick with me for some time to come.

trueleahliongirl's review against another edition

4.0

Such a different life than the one we live. Eye opening.

shorty_320's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

sarah_bettina's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

becsa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

kschmoldt's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this book, but it is probably one of the more depressing books I've ever read.

trevan's review against another edition

3.0

The thing I liked the most about this book was the literal translations the author used to describe events and emotions. Using sayings such as "as the sky wiped away the morning from its eyes", instead of "in the morning", the author did a great job of conveying the cultural differences between the residents of Imperi and, say, residents of the US.

The book did an all right job at keeping the reader's attention, as it was all about the hardship an African community faced after it was torn apart by war and then by "the company" (a mining company that basically came in and ruined the community), but I was disappointed by the lack of a climax in the story. I expected the town of Imperi to rise again and be a dominant force in Africa, but that wasn't the case. The ending of the story was not what I expected (in more of a bad than good way...)