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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Wow, while I was reading this book I had to keep reminding myself it was nonfiction. The things that are described in here are just so horrible I can't imagine them as anything but fantasy. The truth is that a 12 YEAR OLD BOY was eyewitness to these events. I don't know how to react to this book, I only read about these experiences and my mind wanders to the horrible events. Gosh I never really knew much about the life of child soldiers. But Ishmael and his fellow soldier's lives are so much different then the childhood that I am so fortunate to have. My childhood is safe and protected but Ishmael has dozens of scars from BULLETS that are constantly flying around him. Ishmael wrote his memoir down so people could hear it. That means that everyone who has the chance should read it! I firmly believe that we should be knowledge about the horrible things happening on Planet Earth, otherwise they will just keep happening. This is one of those things that can't just keep happening!
(Just wanted to add) Overall the content outweighed the writing in this book. Except for the ending, the story that Ishmael added in the end was just so fitting to explain the reason why he wrote this book. I kept reading that page over and over again... Ya ok READ THIS BOOK
(Just wanted to add) Overall the content outweighed the writing in this book. Except for the ending, the story that Ishmael added in the end was just so fitting to explain the reason why he wrote this book. I kept reading that page over and over again... Ya ok READ THIS BOOK
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Another book I’m not going to rate… I first read this book in a 9th grade ELA class. I have thought about it often in the 9 years since, and I wanted to re-read it as an adult. Reading this book you are absolutely shocked and horrified at the things Beah goes through- that the country is going through. At times, it is very blunt, detached, unemotional, etc. which makes it more shocking to read. This is a true account of events by a person who has experience unimaginable psychological damage- who has committed acts that would destroy most people (and many have been destroyed by the experiences he went through). It is harrowing. I can’t give it stars because it’s really not about enjoyment or if it’s a well-written book or whatever else you rate based on. It is an important, eye-opening story that will stick with you.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was another bookclub book with my college roommates. This story shredded my heart and opened my eyes to the horrors of what it was like for the author to be a child soldier. I absolutely think everyone should read this book!
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
This was a tough (war content) but important read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
This was a very moving story. How could it not be?
Beah doesn't focus so much on the actual acts of violence he committed as a child soldier. Instead, the story is more about the path to and the repercussions of this life. Separation from his family, distrust from the other adults he encountered, hunger, and anger at the RUF for the devastation they caused all culminated in his emergence as a child soldier. He had no choice.
I never realized that the government troops in Sierra Leone had also resorted to using child soldiers just as the RUF had. I guess it makes sense though. The regular army may not have been as barbaric in their practices of recruiting child soldiers, or perhaps it is excluded from the book, but the drug abuse and brain-washing are definitely the same tactics. Beah is lucky that he landed with a commander who recognized his potential and made certain that he was removed from the frontlines as soon as an opportunity to do so presented itself.
This began the long process of drug detox and PTSD treatment necessary for Beah's re-entry into society. He is also extremely fortunate that UNICEF was able to find a family member willing to take on someone with such a traumatic past.
The importance of stories and rap music intertwine this work and I am sure that I will go back through it to examine how these influence and enrich the narrative. Beah is to be commended for extracting himself from these circumstances and for his efforts to reconcile himself with his past. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks that their lives have been so traumatic. It serves as a reminder that things could be sooooooo much worse.
Beah doesn't focus so much on the actual acts of violence he committed as a child soldier. Instead, the story is more about the path to and the repercussions of this life. Separation from his family, distrust from the other adults he encountered, hunger, and anger at the RUF for the devastation they caused all culminated in his emergence as a child soldier. He had no choice.
I never realized that the government troops in Sierra Leone had also resorted to using child soldiers just as the RUF had. I guess it makes sense though. The regular army may not have been as barbaric in their practices of recruiting child soldiers, or perhaps it is excluded from the book, but the drug abuse and brain-washing are definitely the same tactics. Beah is lucky that he landed with a commander who recognized his potential and made certain that he was removed from the frontlines as soon as an opportunity to do so presented itself.
This began the long process of drug detox and PTSD treatment necessary for Beah's re-entry into society. He is also extremely fortunate that UNICEF was able to find a family member willing to take on someone with such a traumatic past.
The importance of stories and rap music intertwine this work and I am sure that I will go back through it to examine how these influence and enrich the narrative. Beah is to be commended for extracting himself from these circumstances and for his efforts to reconcile himself with his past. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks that their lives have been so traumatic. It serves as a reminder that things could be sooooooo much worse.