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A review by rkcarabell
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
3.0
This is a heart-wrenching story of a boy growing up in war-torn Sierra Leone. I've read several memoirs of people that grew up in Africa. Each one includes beautiful stories of an idyllic time and place growing up: where life was simple, parents were authoritarian but kind and loving, friends were plenty, and school was a savior. Eventually tradgedy strikes, causing the protagonist to overcome extreme horrors to survive. This book was no different.
Beah's writing of his efforts to escape the war and eventually to take part in it are raw and heart-wrenching. I gained a perspective into the troubles of Sierra Leone and child soldiers that I would not have had I not read this book. Because it is more descriptive than reflective, the reader is left to contemplate the meaning of all of it. I found myself amazed at what horrors humans are capable of, the fragility of life and the incredible adaptive powers of the human mind. This story is ultimately about survival, but I suppose that's how it goes. All of those that died aren't able to write their own stories.
Beah's writing of his efforts to escape the war and eventually to take part in it are raw and heart-wrenching. I gained a perspective into the troubles of Sierra Leone and child soldiers that I would not have had I not read this book. Because it is more descriptive than reflective, the reader is left to contemplate the meaning of all of it. I found myself amazed at what horrors humans are capable of, the fragility of life and the incredible adaptive powers of the human mind. This story is ultimately about survival, but I suppose that's how it goes. All of those that died aren't able to write their own stories.