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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
Very sad, forthright memoir regarding life in Sierra Leone. Hard to read at time because it was so powerful.
Age: High School-College
Tough Issue: Child soldiers
Obviously a tough read, Ishmael provides a glimpse into his life running away from a civil war in his country of Sierra Leone until he gets swept up into the battle. Although Ishamel is in his younger teens throughout the book and the writing style is easy to read, the subject matter is not necessarily suitable for middle school children who may not comprehend the extreme circumstances of the book. Ishamel provides no flowery language, just straight facts focusing on the harrowing story of how young boys fall into the soldier life in order to survive and stay in the soldier life because they know no other family and have found worth in pride in their skills. With only these mastered skills to kill, Ishamel describes his path to rehabilitation through school and, more importantly, forgiveness.
Tough Issue: Child soldiers
Obviously a tough read, Ishmael provides a glimpse into his life running away from a civil war in his country of Sierra Leone until he gets swept up into the battle. Although Ishamel is in his younger teens throughout the book and the writing style is easy to read, the subject matter is not necessarily suitable for middle school children who may not comprehend the extreme circumstances of the book. Ishamel provides no flowery language, just straight facts focusing on the harrowing story of how young boys fall into the soldier life in order to survive and stay in the soldier life because they know no other family and have found worth in pride in their skills. With only these mastered skills to kill, Ishamel describes his path to rehabilitation through school and, more importantly, forgiveness.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
I have rarely been so moved by a story before. I cried so much, sad and happy tears. I hugged the book in the end.
Ishmael writes a compelling story based on true events. Reading this book, I got to learn about the war in first person, so far from my own experience - but I also got to learn about the underlying processes that lead an innocent boy to kill. Drugs, abuse, fear. Nobody sees it coming, and much of the survival comes down to luck.
My favourite aspect: the metaphors and analogies he uses. Such as “the trees seemed to be holding hands and bowing as if to mourn” (not a literal citation but sth like that).
In some points I do think the English grammar used in the book was different to what I’m used to (a more british grammar). I don’t know if it’s “correct” or not (but I also don’t care). In any case, I appreciate it. It allows me to dive into the perspective of the author, inherently soaked in his roots from Sierra Leone. The depiction of events he paints with his words would not be possible without this deviation from the more conventional european english grammar, I believe. He plays around with words.
Thank you Ishmael for writing. I only wish I could thank all the people I met through the book, all the characters, as well.
Ishmael writes a compelling story based on true events. Reading this book, I got to learn about the war in first person, so far from my own experience - but I also got to learn about the underlying processes that lead an innocent boy to kill. Drugs, abuse, fear. Nobody sees it coming, and much of the survival comes down to luck.
My favourite aspect: the metaphors and analogies he uses. Such as “the trees seemed to be holding hands and bowing as if to mourn” (not a literal citation but sth like that).
In some points I do think the English grammar used in the book was different to what I’m used to (a more british grammar). I don’t know if it’s “correct” or not (but I also don’t care). In any case, I appreciate it. It allows me to dive into the perspective of the author, inherently soaked in his roots from Sierra Leone. The depiction of events he paints with his words would not be possible without this deviation from the more conventional european english grammar, I believe. He plays around with words.
Thank you Ishmael for writing. I only wish I could thank all the people I met through the book, all the characters, as well.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I wanted MORE of this memoir. I wanted all the grittiness and sadness and anger that created this magnificent book. Beah gave me the gruesome details that I feel Dallaire’s ‘Shake Hands with the Devil’ lacked.
I am, however, left with many unanswered questions: What mental torture did he experience during the two years with the army that he glossed over? How did his new family cope after his uncle died? How did Laura become his ‘mother’ later on?
200 odd pages weren’t enough of this story for me, but what I was given was great indeed. Overall, a brilliant piece of work by a courageous young man. Oh, and the Chronology would have been better at the front of the book. 4.5/5
I am, however, left with many unanswered questions: What mental torture did he experience during the two years with the army that he glossed over? How did his new family cope after his uncle died? How did Laura become his ‘mother’ later on?
200 odd pages weren’t enough of this story for me, but what I was given was great indeed. Overall, a brilliant piece of work by a courageous young man. Oh, and the Chronology would have been better at the front of the book. 4.5/5
This is a GREAT, GREAT book by a young man from Sierra Leone, Africa. A civil war broke out in 1991 when Ishmael was just 12 years old. Rebels destroyed his village and separated him from his family. He fled on foot, simply looking for safety with a group of boys. But the war had caused so much fear that few people trusted strangers. After a few months, Ishmael was essentially forced to join the army. His training included serious brainwashing to turn him and other young boys into ruthless soldiers. Ishmael was eventually handed over to UNICEF officials who rehabilitated him, and led to him eventually living in New York.
This story struck me because: 1. This happened during my adulthood, and 2. I knew absolutely NOTHING about it. In the US, many people don’t have much respect for our immigrants. Americans often get frustrated when immigrants don’t speak English or have a culture that is different from ours. But imagine how bad things must have been to motivate immigrants to leave everything behind and try to start a new life. How many of us would have the courage to do that? How different would our lives be if we had simply been born in a different place? It makes you thing, doesn’t it.
People, please read this book.
This story struck me because: 1. This happened during my adulthood, and 2. I knew absolutely NOTHING about it. In the US, many people don’t have much respect for our immigrants. Americans often get frustrated when immigrants don’t speak English or have a culture that is different from ours. But imagine how bad things must have been to motivate immigrants to leave everything behind and try to start a new life. How many of us would have the courage to do that? How different would our lives be if we had simply been born in a different place? It makes you thing, doesn’t it.
People, please read this book.
What a great and honest telling of a childhood. If you are interested in the boy soldiers of Sierra Leone and aren't sure where to start. This is the book.
this book is powerful and really simply descriptive. the description of the well-meaning but completely unprepared NGO workers is devastating!