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nina_chatterjee_ 's review for:
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
by Ishmael Beah
I have one minor problem with the so-called “plot” ending being incredibly abrupt, but like I said, it’s minor. I understand why this is the route that was taken, and I think it was still effective nonetheless.
Additionally, the only way I can judge someone else’s story is based on how well it’s told. And Beah’s story is told incredibly well; you start to think even as you begin to feel. For me, this is possible because of how realistically it’s told.
The biggest shock for me was that the retelling of Beah’s time in the army is shockingly short, and that was what I thought I was going to be reading a lot about. But from what we do learn and from what comes next, I think this was the perfect way for this memoir to unfold. We as readers don’t particularly want to know the specifics - we read stories like these to understand someone else. So we don’t want to know WHAT happened in the army, we want to know WHY it happened and HOW it affected Beah. And the army segment and the rehabilitation segment speak volumes, and give us an incredible understanding of how children end up fighting in war.
Truly well done, and the flashback at the end was absolutely perfect. A well deserved 5 stars.
Additionally, the only way I can judge someone else’s story is based on how well it’s told. And Beah’s story is told incredibly well; you start to think even as you begin to feel. For me, this is possible because of how realistically it’s told.
The biggest shock for me was that the retelling of Beah’s time in the army is shockingly short, and that was what I thought I was going to be reading a lot about. But from what we do learn and from what comes next, I think this was the perfect way for this memoir to unfold. We as readers don’t particularly want to know the specifics - we read stories like these to understand someone else. So we don’t want to know WHAT happened in the army, we want to know WHY it happened and HOW it affected Beah. And the army segment and the rehabilitation segment speak volumes, and give us an incredible understanding of how children end up fighting in war.
Truly well done, and the flashback at the end was absolutely perfect. A well deserved 5 stars.