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A review by tim_j_001
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
2.0
This was a very moving story. How could it not be?
Beah doesn't focus so much on the actual acts of violence he committed as a child soldier. Instead, the story is more about the path to and the repercussions of this life. Separation from his family, distrust from the other adults he encountered, hunger, and anger at the RUF for the devastation they caused all culminated in his emergence as a child soldier. He had no choice.
I never realized that the government troops in Sierra Leone had also resorted to using child soldiers just as the RUF had. I guess it makes sense though. The regular army may not have been as barbaric in their practices of recruiting child soldiers, or perhaps it is excluded from the book, but the drug abuse and brain-washing are definitely the same tactics. Beah is lucky that he landed with a commander who recognized his potential and made certain that he was removed from the frontlines as soon as an opportunity to do so presented itself.
This began the long process of drug detox and PTSD treatment necessary for Beah's re-entry into society. He is also extremely fortunate that UNICEF was able to find a family member willing to take on someone with such a traumatic past.
The importance of stories and rap music intertwine this work and I am sure that I will go back through it to examine how these influence and enrich the narrative. Beah is to be commended for extracting himself from these circumstances and for his efforts to reconcile himself with his past. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks that their lives have been so traumatic. It serves as a reminder that things could be sooooooo much worse.
Beah doesn't focus so much on the actual acts of violence he committed as a child soldier. Instead, the story is more about the path to and the repercussions of this life. Separation from his family, distrust from the other adults he encountered, hunger, and anger at the RUF for the devastation they caused all culminated in his emergence as a child soldier. He had no choice.
I never realized that the government troops in Sierra Leone had also resorted to using child soldiers just as the RUF had. I guess it makes sense though. The regular army may not have been as barbaric in their practices of recruiting child soldiers, or perhaps it is excluded from the book, but the drug abuse and brain-washing are definitely the same tactics. Beah is lucky that he landed with a commander who recognized his potential and made certain that he was removed from the frontlines as soon as an opportunity to do so presented itself.
This began the long process of drug detox and PTSD treatment necessary for Beah's re-entry into society. He is also extremely fortunate that UNICEF was able to find a family member willing to take on someone with such a traumatic past.
The importance of stories and rap music intertwine this work and I am sure that I will go back through it to examine how these influence and enrich the narrative. Beah is to be commended for extracting himself from these circumstances and for his efforts to reconcile himself with his past. I recommend this book to anyone who thinks that their lives have been so traumatic. It serves as a reminder that things could be sooooooo much worse.