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eiseneisen 's review for:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
A Long Way Gone is Ishmael Beah's memoir about his experience during Sierra Leonne's Civil War. It is similar to other personal accounts of war--filled with disturbing descriptions of the tragedies and atrocities associated with all armed conflicts. But 2 factors differentiate A Long Way Gone from other wartime memoirs:
1. Beah was the perpetrator of many of the horrors he describes
2. During the 3-year period that he discusses, Beah was 13 - 16 years old
Beah's straightforward/honest recollections and his youth fill the reader with an acute sense of horror/disbelief. Unfortunately, the book features less-than-great storytelling/writing, and the end is both abrupt and unfulfilling.
Bottome line---A Long Way Down is a fine read, but it's not special.
1. Beah was the perpetrator of many of the horrors he describes
2. During the 3-year period that he discusses, Beah was 13 - 16 years old
Beah's straightforward/honest recollections and his youth fill the reader with an acute sense of horror/disbelief. Unfortunately, the book features less-than-great storytelling/writing, and the end is both abrupt and unfulfilling.
Bottome line---A Long Way Down is a fine read, but it's not special.