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karenmichele 's review for:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
A Long Way Gone is an amazing book on many levels. First, the story that Ishmael Beah tells is an emotional one and one that is staying with me now that I have finished reading. He tells of his teenage years, first as a child soldier in the midst of horrific warfare, and then as he was rehabilitated and began his path to his adult life in the US today. Secondly, Beah has an incredible voice as an author. I was struck many times by the sheer beauty of the way he put words together. He was able to bring humor to his story, too, as he described his first journey to New York City in the winter and seeing snow for the first time. Last but not least, I was reminded of the power of forgiveness. I wonder if we could apply more of this philosophy of rehabilitation in the US. We accept these young people into the US and elsewhere because as children they were exposed to violence and kept drugged so that they could survive and so that they would follow the orders of the drug lords. Once they have been rehabilitated, they are considered valuable members of society and can pursue their lives as Beah has done and rightfully so. I'm not sure we always give our own teens who have been "jumped in" to gangs at an early age or forced to live homeless the rehabilitation and then the respect they are due. Why are we so eager to incarcerate our own young people instead of redeeming them and helping them become part of our society? Why do we think that just growing up and getting a job will solve the problems of the emotionally devastated? Why are those that help often labeled "enablers" instead of celebrated with pride? Why are we so afraid of our own teens that we feel we need to "stand our ground" against them? These are questions I am still pondering after reading this meaningful memoir, A Long Way Gone.