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graciegrace1178 's review for:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
If you are considering reading this, please take heed. This is a truly graphic and horrifying read. This was one of my 22 books to read in 2022 selections, so chosen because it fulfilled my criteria for the reading around the world challenge: Africa: Sierra Leone, and quite honestly I wish I had selected something else.
Leading with the WIDL today because I believe it is more important than the WIL.
WIDL
1) Reviewer Steven Steven said it best in his review "This book is disturbing. It's a good read, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping; this...[won't] help at all." I don't know what I expected really. Going in, I had assumed it would be decently disturbing, but I underestimated just how much it would bother me. This book is extremely graphic. It leaves very little to the imagination. I became physically ill from reading it. It made sleeping a difficult and dreaded affair. I reiterate Steven's wisdom: I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone who has trouble sleeping. I would further expand that and say that I cannot recommend this to anyone who is in recovery from mental health complications, anyone who is particularly empathetic, or anyone who believes themselves capable of suffering second-hand trauma from sharp descriptions of horrors that first world country inhabitants can scarcely fathom.
2) When it rains it pours, when it's dry, it's drought. The visuals and descriptions were either entirely too horrifying and nightmarish OR dull and dry. Maybe the dull/dry parts just seemed that way in contrast to the horrors all around them, but I felt I was grappling for a consistent tonal foothold the entire way through this.
3) rave reviews. I selected this for my Sierra Leone read because it was so well-regarded by so many fellow reading around the world participants. To that I say: are you guys okay??? Do your respective therapists know about your experience with this book?
WIL
1) the only reason this is not a 0-1 star read is because it is so brutally, remarkably candid. The author refuses to hide behind shame or disguise his words with any fancy literary techniques. It is just 100% a story of a life of horrors and victories and the pursuit of happiness in dire circumstances. That's not a frequent writing approach nowadays, and it was refreshing in its own way. Credit to Beah for owning his story fully. The inherent courage in this writing is nothing short of brilliant.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) if you've read this far, you might be asking yourself why I didn't simply DNF if it was such a brutal read. And here's the thing, I did! I did DNF for a while. The reading dates here only represent my latest attempt to try this again which I only TRIED because I was told he goes to REHAB and it's HELPFUL for both protagonist AND reader. I assumed that if I could get through the worst of it and see that the protagonist came out the other side well enough, then,, I dunno, I'd be able to deal with it better. This is not an approach I recommend! If you're struggling with this early on, be smarter than me. Just dnf.
Leading with the WIDL today because I believe it is more important than the WIL.
WIDL
1) Reviewer Steven Steven said it best in his review "This book is disturbing. It's a good read, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping; this...[won't] help at all." I don't know what I expected really. Going in, I had assumed it would be decently disturbing, but I underestimated just how much it would bother me. This book is extremely graphic. It leaves very little to the imagination. I became physically ill from reading it. It made sleeping a difficult and dreaded affair. I reiterate Steven's wisdom: I cannot in good conscience recommend this to anyone who has trouble sleeping. I would further expand that and say that I cannot recommend this to anyone who is in recovery from mental health complications, anyone who is particularly empathetic, or anyone who believes themselves capable of suffering second-hand trauma from sharp descriptions of horrors that first world country inhabitants can scarcely fathom.
2) When it rains it pours, when it's dry, it's drought. The visuals and descriptions were either entirely too horrifying and nightmarish OR dull and dry. Maybe the dull/dry parts just seemed that way in contrast to the horrors all around them, but I felt I was grappling for a consistent tonal foothold the entire way through this.
3) rave reviews. I selected this for my Sierra Leone read because it was so well-regarded by so many fellow reading around the world participants. To that I say: are you guys okay??? Do your respective therapists know about your experience with this book?
WIL
1) the only reason this is not a 0-1 star read is because it is so brutally, remarkably candid. The author refuses to hide behind shame or disguise his words with any fancy literary techniques. It is just 100% a story of a life of horrors and victories and the pursuit of happiness in dire circumstances. That's not a frequent writing approach nowadays, and it was refreshing in its own way. Credit to Beah for owning his story fully. The inherent courage in this writing is nothing short of brilliant.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) if you've read this far, you might be asking yourself why I didn't simply DNF if it was such a brutal read. And here's the thing, I did! I did DNF for a while. The reading dates here only represent my latest attempt to try this again which I only TRIED because I was told he goes to REHAB and it's HELPFUL for both protagonist AND reader. I assumed that if I could get through the worst of it and see that the protagonist came out the other side well enough, then,, I dunno, I'd be able to deal with it better. This is not an approach I recommend! If you're struggling with this early on, be smarter than me. Just dnf.