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sstevenson 's review for:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
By what criteria should a memoir be reviewed? Should a memoir have an agenda? Make a point, make the right point? Draw a correct conclusion?
Recently I read a review for the book "Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front" by Gunter K. Koschorrek. The reviewer had given the book a remarkably low rating, which primarily stemmed from the reviewer's annoyance that the writer didn't have the final paradigm which they 'ought to have had'. I myself had also noticed that the writer of "Blood Red Snow" seemed not to understand the magnitude or reasons for such visceral anger on the part of the Russians and indeed the rest of the planet at the close of World War 2. I thought about this seeming disconnect and came to the conclusion that, if I attempted some critical thinking and at least tried to put myself into a young Koschorrek's boots at the close of what must have seemed like an apocalyptic nightmare for him and Germany, there were good reasons (which for the sake of brevity I omit) why he would not have fully understood the level of wrath that was forthcoming.
Now it could be said: Yes but "Blood Red Snow" was not published until decades later and a older, wiser, better informed Koschorrek, surely should have had the benefit of hindsight when he finally decided to write his book. He could have added all the proper Mea Culpas and editorialized in the appropriate levels of angst for Germany's atrocities (which obviously there is no doubt of or argument about, on my part nor should there be).
But, isn't it great that Koschorrek didn't do that? Isn't it amazing that he left us looking through the eyes of the young soldier, left us considering the unvarnished thoughts of the young man in a completely broken time and place, which he lived through and we did not? Isn't it wonderful and refreshing that we are allowed to use our own critical thinking and reconcile our world with that of someone else's raw experience?...to me the answer is yes.
So, in answer to my own questions and to bring this review back around to Beah's "A Long Way Gone"
here are some marks of a really good memoir;
The story opens a window into the world that I could not experience myself, one that amazes, shocks, horrifies, humbles, inspires, et al.
The story shows me a place and time through the eyes and thoughts of the writer in those finite moments.
The reader is allowed and expected to think about and even wrestle with things that they are shown without being told what to conclude.
The writer expresses their self naturally, according to his or her own character, nature and ability to do so.
The writer is allowed to feel however they authentically felt, but does not have to come to any conclusions and is not strapped with justifying anything.
In my opinion, the best memoirs are written by non writers.
Ishmael Beah's "A Long Way Gone" is the retelling of his own childhood experience of survival in the "hellscape" of the Sierra Leone civil war. The book is brief, the writing is largely unadorned, straightforward and stark. Unlike the writing 101 mantra of "show, don't tell" Mr. Beah does mostly tell and what he tells is horrifying.
A preteen Beah fights to stay alive and human after his village is over run by rebel troops who are callous and inhumane beyond what most of us can imagine and that is where this book is most impactful. Impact will not come from monumental writing. refreshingly it is written how you might expect a adolescent to write such a story. Occasionally there is an artful metaphor or well turn phrase but there are no deep dives into the psychology of his situation. there is no grand philosophy past living, killing and getting enough drugs, food and ammunition.
There is more of course, "A Long Way Gone" opens just before war comes to the author's village. The chilling but familiar denial of emanate calamity unfolds. This is a topic that I've noticed in other memoirs of this type. The idea of willful disbelief presented in this book is one that should give the reader pause for reflection.
With tenacity and luck , Beah is able to survive and for a time avoids being swept up in the fighting. Suddenly, however he finds himself with little choice, but to join the army in opposition to the rebels. almost immediately we see that the army is little better than the rebels they fight. The fighting grinds with seemingly no endgame other than continuing to fight.
I think an important point here is to again speak to the "matter of factness" with which the author describes his life and the acts committed by him and those around him during this time. Personally I choose to not say "the author should have explored and talked about the awfulness of the situation as opposed to just narrating. what was happening, but rather why and what does that say about the human condition? particularly his condition at the time.
To be short I wont say much more. This book is easily readable in a weekend but don't make the mistake of skipping the chronology at the end. Particularly at this time as we watch Afghanistan fall again to turmoil and terrorism after many decades of outside involvement by many different actors and then the seemingly inevitable abandoning of the country as a "project", read the timeline and maybe let it inform you as to why Sierra Leone and other unfortunate places come to these ends.
Recently I read a review for the book "Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front" by Gunter K. Koschorrek. The reviewer had given the book a remarkably low rating, which primarily stemmed from the reviewer's annoyance that the writer didn't have the final paradigm which they 'ought to have had'. I myself had also noticed that the writer of "Blood Red Snow" seemed not to understand the magnitude or reasons for such visceral anger on the part of the Russians and indeed the rest of the planet at the close of World War 2. I thought about this seeming disconnect and came to the conclusion that, if I attempted some critical thinking and at least tried to put myself into a young Koschorrek's boots at the close of what must have seemed like an apocalyptic nightmare for him and Germany, there were good reasons (which for the sake of brevity I omit) why he would not have fully understood the level of wrath that was forthcoming.
Now it could be said: Yes but "Blood Red Snow" was not published until decades later and a older, wiser, better informed Koschorrek, surely should have had the benefit of hindsight when he finally decided to write his book. He could have added all the proper Mea Culpas and editorialized in the appropriate levels of angst for Germany's atrocities (which obviously there is no doubt of or argument about, on my part nor should there be).
But, isn't it great that Koschorrek didn't do that? Isn't it amazing that he left us looking through the eyes of the young soldier, left us considering the unvarnished thoughts of the young man in a completely broken time and place, which he lived through and we did not? Isn't it wonderful and refreshing that we are allowed to use our own critical thinking and reconcile our world with that of someone else's raw experience?...to me the answer is yes.
So, in answer to my own questions and to bring this review back around to Beah's "A Long Way Gone"
here are some marks of a really good memoir;
The story opens a window into the world that I could not experience myself, one that amazes, shocks, horrifies, humbles, inspires, et al.
The story shows me a place and time through the eyes and thoughts of the writer in those finite moments.
The reader is allowed and expected to think about and even wrestle with things that they are shown without being told what to conclude.
The writer expresses their self naturally, according to his or her own character, nature and ability to do so.
The writer is allowed to feel however they authentically felt, but does not have to come to any conclusions and is not strapped with justifying anything.
In my opinion, the best memoirs are written by non writers.
Ishmael Beah's "A Long Way Gone" is the retelling of his own childhood experience of survival in the "hellscape" of the Sierra Leone civil war. The book is brief, the writing is largely unadorned, straightforward and stark. Unlike the writing 101 mantra of "show, don't tell" Mr. Beah does mostly tell and what he tells is horrifying.
A preteen Beah fights to stay alive and human after his village is over run by rebel troops who are callous and inhumane beyond what most of us can imagine and that is where this book is most impactful. Impact will not come from monumental writing. refreshingly it is written how you might expect a adolescent to write such a story. Occasionally there is an artful metaphor or well turn phrase but there are no deep dives into the psychology of his situation. there is no grand philosophy past living, killing and getting enough drugs, food and ammunition.
There is more of course, "A Long Way Gone" opens just before war comes to the author's village. The chilling but familiar denial of emanate calamity unfolds. This is a topic that I've noticed in other memoirs of this type. The idea of willful disbelief presented in this book is one that should give the reader pause for reflection.
With tenacity and luck , Beah is able to survive and for a time avoids being swept up in the fighting. Suddenly, however he finds himself with little choice, but to join the army in opposition to the rebels. almost immediately we see that the army is little better than the rebels they fight. The fighting grinds with seemingly no endgame other than continuing to fight.
I think an important point here is to again speak to the "matter of factness" with which the author describes his life and the acts committed by him and those around him during this time. Personally I choose to not say "the author should have explored and talked about the awfulness of the situation as opposed to just narrating. what was happening, but rather why and what does that say about the human condition? particularly his condition at the time.
To be short I wont say much more. This book is easily readable in a weekend but don't make the mistake of skipping the chronology at the end. Particularly at this time as we watch Afghanistan fall again to turmoil and terrorism after many decades of outside involvement by many different actors and then the seemingly inevitable abandoning of the country as a "project", read the timeline and maybe let it inform you as to why Sierra Leone and other unfortunate places come to these ends.