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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
A heartbreaking story and an ugly truth that it's important to face - the problem of child soldiers. It just didn't grab my attention & keep me engaged as much as some similar stories. It still is so important to engage with, and was a story worth sharing.
Whenever you feel like complaining about your life... don't. One of the few books that caused a real physical reaction in me. A powerful autobiography of a man who started out as a boy in hell. More impressive than the fact that he survived as a child soldier in Sierra Leone is that he has clearly turned into a phenomenal human being. This is required reading for everybody. I can't possibly describe how incredible and enlightening it was to read this book. I always asked myself "How does this happen?" Now I know.
A Long Way Gone is an absolutely stunning memoir about the horrors that life can force on a mere child and the slow but steady process of healing and learning to forgive oneself.
As a reader, I tend to be repelled by anything not remotely related to fantasy — but one look at A Long Way Gone and I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone. Needless to say, it was totally worth it! Using a combination of flashbacks, intricately described moments, and broad descriptions of a passing of time, Ishmael Beah weaves the many threads of his childhood into a tapestry rivaling Athena’s. His journey from a carefree child to a fleeing soul to a desensitized soldier to a survivor plagued by the memories of his past is one filled with sorrow, loss, and — against the odds — hope.
I believe that everyone in the world has something to learn from Ishmael’s life, and am thankful to him for sharing his story with so many readers and listeners all over the world. A Long Way Gone is a memoir that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
As a reader, I tend to be repelled by anything not remotely related to fantasy — but one look at A Long Way Gone and I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone. Needless to say, it was totally worth it! Using a combination of flashbacks, intricately described moments, and broad descriptions of a passing of time, Ishmael Beah weaves the many threads of his childhood into a tapestry rivaling Athena’s. His journey from a carefree child to a fleeing soul to a desensitized soldier to a survivor plagued by the memories of his past is one filled with sorrow, loss, and — against the odds — hope.
I believe that everyone in the world has something to learn from Ishmael’s life, and am thankful to him for sharing his story with so many readers and listeners all over the world. A Long Way Gone is a memoir that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
FIRST LINE REVIEW: "My high school friends have begun to suspect I haven't told them the full story of my life." Ishmael tells us instead. Heartbreaking and inspiring! What no 12-year-old should ever have to endure (what no one should) is described in great detail, sparing neither himself nor the reader. The truth heart of the memoir, however, is the story of his redemption/rehabilitation. Miraculous and well-written
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Fascinating memoir, though (admittedly) not super well written. Still, it’s incredible to read about the life of Ishmael and what he went through. I wish the book included more about the goings-on of the government in Sierra Leone, not just the context of what happened to Ishmael. Ending was rather abrupt and random, too.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced