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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
A Long Way Gone is the story of a Boy Solider Ishmael Beah. This was a really hard and heavy read for me. This is one of those books that you have to mentally prepare yourself for because it is laced with violence, child abuse, death and overall dark.
This Memoir is told from Beah's point of view, he recounts his life as a 12 year old child solider during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Even though this was a short read, it felt long and dark. This was so difficult to read because my heart broke for all the persons who died and the childhood that Beah did not get to experience.
Overall a memorable read.
This Memoir is told from Beah's point of view, he recounts his life as a 12 year old child solider during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Even though this was a short read, it felt long and dark. This was so difficult to read because my heart broke for all the persons who died and the childhood that Beah did not get to experience.
Overall a memorable read.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Good book hands down
I feel kind of horrible saying this because Beah's experiences were truly horrific and it is brave and heroic of him to tell his story, but the storytelling itself wasn't the strongest here. Very little of the story was spent describing his time in the army, which is understandable considering how traumatizing it was, but the subtitle of this book leads the reader to think there will be more of a discussion on this. Way too much time was spent on his roaming the countryside before his induction (abduction?) into the army, and it almost lost me completely. Beah's rehabilitation was touching, and I wouldn't have minded more reflection on his time in NYC (or when he moved there after his escape). Just overall, the story read unevenly.
The reality of what does happen to child soldiers after they are found and brought out of war is one that I find fascinating and this book does a good job of showing how one young man learned to move from a horrible situation.
Too depressing for my mood at the moment. Will finish it eventually. About half-way through.
So graphic I almost barfed trying to read this in high school.
Ishmael Beah tells a heartbreaking story in his memoir about becoming a boy soldier in Sierra Leone during civil war. Losing family to the wild rebel forces (RUF), Beah was forced to fend for himself and walked from village to village, hoping for the charity of strangers. Ultimately, to avoid starvation and stay alive, he was given a gun and some training, forging his future as an eleven-year-old, ruthless killer. This story tells the tale of a survivor and how a regular boy found his way through war, recovery, and ultimately, to the United Nations conference in NYC. It was a compelling tale and a very easy, quick read.
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A Long Way Gone was a harrowing and haunting read as you might expect given the subject matter. It is a memoir of Beah’s time as a child soldier during Sierra Leone’s civil war. Fleeing the rebels that killed his family he wandered the countryside, sometimes alone and sometimes with a small group, seeking food, shelter and survival. At age 13 he was taken in by an army unit. By supplying him with drugs, training him in gun use, brainwashing him and threatening him with death they taught him to kill and required him to do so. He spent the next three years doing just that and it seemed the drugs enabled him to do so with no feeling whatsoever. At age 16 the United Nations arranged for his release and sent him to a rehabilitation unit. It was during his time there, and no longer having ready access to drugs and suffering withdrawal symptoms, that the horrors of the acts he witnessed and was forced to commit, became very all too obvious, taking a major toll on his health.
This was not an easy read and there are many acts of unspeakable violence recounted in graphic but dispassionate detail. But it is an important read. Sadly Beah’s journey from a mischievous, rap-loving Shakespeare quoting child to a drug-fuelled trained killer is not unique. Thankfully his story ended well, but there are many other children still in his predicament. Reading this book not only reminds us of the plight of child soldiers but also highlights the crucial work done patient, skilled and compassionate people working to free and rehabilitate them.
This was not an easy read and there are many acts of unspeakable violence recounted in graphic but dispassionate detail. But it is an important read. Sadly Beah’s journey from a mischievous, rap-loving Shakespeare quoting child to a drug-fuelled trained killer is not unique. Thankfully his story ended well, but there are many other children still in his predicament. Reading this book not only reminds us of the plight of child soldiers but also highlights the crucial work done patient, skilled and compassionate people working to free and rehabilitate them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence