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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
I thought it was very nicely written, but I was sort of hoping to hear a little more about the actual hell this man went through. I realize that he was doped for most of it, and probably doesn't have a strong memory of any of his time as a boy soldier - but I felt that a lot of the horror came toward the end, and didn't really give a taste of how awful the warfare was. It is worth reading, however.
A sobering story of war by a boy who grew up reciting Shakespeare, and dancing to American rap music. The details are gruesome, the memories sad, but most upsetting to me is the way his "rehabilitation" is initiated. An amazing personal journey that reflects the simultaneous dependence and strength of the human spirit.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
SIERRA LEONE
Nothing like a book to put life into perspective . You think life can be bad but then you read stories like this about children joining the army and taking cocaine just to survive and then having to go through years of rehabilitation to be able to function in society again.
I’m
Nothing like a book to put life into perspective . You think life can be bad but then you read stories like this about children joining the army and taking cocaine just to survive and then having to go through years of rehabilitation to be able to function in society again.
I’m
Amazing story...it is unbelievable what humans can do to one another, as well as what unimaginable experiences people can recover from. Although, this exceptional man was able to rehabilitate and make it out of this war, most boys did not have the same happy ending. That is one thing I keep in mind...there are still boy soldiers out there performing the same atrocities described in this book. Depressing.
Honest and heartbreaking, this story is important for its ability to elicit our sympathy for people who are carrying out unthinkable acts of violence. Those of us who are so far removed from this kind of war (or any other) too easily demonize the participants with no real understanding of what is driving them. In the context of the conflict they are dead people who just haven't died yet - there is no other way out. It is unimaginably lucky that Ishmael Beah survived both the war and his own internal destruction to write his book.
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I dragged my feet about starting this book, but once I picked it up, I finished it the same day. Very readable and thought provoking. Lots of good material for book club disucssions.
A heartbreaking memoir of tragedy and survival.