A very disturbing true story that I feel everyone, every kids should read. War, is a horrendous thing. It kills lives, destroys homes, wipes out the glows in the eyes of the surviving people.. Ishmael's words are calm, quiet, almost nonchalant yet extremely powerful. I had tears in my eyes reading it. It was painful to read the book, it was painful to even imagine what he has gone through in the war. I'm glad he survived the war and has a better life now. There are still many, too many people suffering in wars all over the world. But one got out is better than none got out.

I read about the controversy surrounding this book (on the internet) half way reading it. It's up to people who and what to believe, even with evidence, just like Michael Jackson's trial. And I believe Ishmael Beah. I just do.

A link to Ishmael's words on the doubts of his experience in the war.
[...]

I gave the book a 4 star because it ended a little too abruptly. How did he get to US? Did the people in the Embassy helped him? How did Laura become his mum? I know in the book, it told that Laura and Ishmael got close with each other during the conference. But I would have like to know a little more detail after he got to US and stay with Laura. And perhaps a little about his life then when he was writing the book. Was he still being haunted by nightmares? Was he able to get a good night sleep? I'm just wondering...

Wow, words can not describe this memoir.
Really was eye opening to read, makes you re-evaluate all the things that we tend to take for granted.

A very interesting book full of true horrors, with the senseless destruction of entire villages at the hands of children who have been brainwashed and trained to kill.

Beah had me at the first page of this book, which is incredibly poignant. A Long Way Gone should be required reading for anyone who lives in a country, such as ours, in which war tends to be romanticized and Hollywoodized. Beah offers a rare glimpse into the life and mind of a child soldier. He gives an up-close view of the wartime horrors and suffering in Sierra Leone, as well as his own motives for taking up arms and the inevitable process of desensitization. He's an introspective and gifted writer, particularly for someone whose first language isn't English. (I kept searching for the "as told to.") Heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. My only criticism is his somewhat abrupt change of heart toward the end of the book. He might have delved into that psychological transition a bit more, but in any case, a wonderful book.

First off, this is fact, not fiction. This book follows Ishmael Beah's journey through war torn Sierra Leone after his village is attacked by the RUF (Rebels). It follows him through his horrible journey of becoming a child soldier fighting against the RUF. The RUF is mainly after diamonds, specifically the money after selling the diamonds. Ishmael is forced to flee, fight, and witness horrific tragedies that no human should witness, let alone a child. This book just opens so many questions for policy-makers and the individual to answer. Why buy rocks to sit on your nasty finger if it costs people their lives? How are you going to help stop this and prevent it from occurring again? So far, not much has been done about child soldiers throughout the world, with many now in Sudan and spread across many parts of Africa, as well as South America. This is a worldwide problem that Ishmael Beah has thankfully shed light upon. Now, what are you willing to do to stop this?

This book by Ishmael Beah is s shocking look inside the world of child soldiers in Africa, specifically Sierra Leone. Being from the United States, I had heard stories, but this first-hand setting of this book as eye-opening. This book may not be the most suitable for the young readers, but is a great way to learn about an ongoing human rights issue. The story is well-written and allows the reader to relate as much as possible.

Ishmael's story will break your heart. He does not write like a victim, but rather like one who found his way out of impossible circumstances. Anyone who glorifies war should read this book.

"I raised my gun and pulled the trigger, and I killed a man. Suddenly, as if someone was shooting them inside my brain, all the massacres I had seen since the day I was touched by war began flashing in my head. Every time I stopped shooting to change magazines and saw my two young lifeless friends, I angrily pointed my gun into the swamp and killed more people." That's how Ishmael Beah describes his first engagement as a child solder in this book.

The book tells the story of a 12-year-old boy separated from his family when the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels invaded his home town in Sierra Leone without warning. Most people were murdered, some were raped or brutalised and pressed into the service of the RUF. A few managed to escape, and the author was one of them. For several months he wandered from town to town with other displaced boys, frequently surviving close scrapes with the rebels or other people who distrusted anyone, until he was recruited into the "army", before eventually being rescued and rehabilitated.

It is not a pleasant story, but it is very engaging and well-written. It shows how a sensitive intelligent child can be drafted against his will into committing brutal acts of violence. It helps to explain what wars are like, particularly in Africa, and how violence begets violence. It helps us to understand people who have been victims of war, and most of all it encourages us to do everything possible to prevent war.

This book should be a required read. It enlightened me to things I never knew were happening. Although the stories are at times difficult to read and imagine ever happening, I couldn't put it down. This book is so engaging! I enjoyed learning about this time in history and about this boys experience. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in culture, history, true stories, etc. A great read!

I have never read a book that was so interesting and had me hooked about war until now. I read the book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. The title is one of the main reasons why I chose this book. The memoirs of a boy soldier is exactly what this book is about, therefore fits this book well. Ishmael Beah was nominated for Quill Award in the best Debut Author for 2007 and this book was one of the top 10 nonfiction books in 2007, but this was the only book he has written. Ishmael Beah is a 12 year old boy about to experience a life he never would have imagined happening to him. Him and some friends leave there native village to go to their talent show, not knowing they will never return. While they are gone there home gets attacked by the RUF. From this point on they all struggle to survive, by being captured, almost killed, and struggling to find their families. The boys never find their families and Beah actually gets separated from his friends and brother. Beah then run's into some boys he recognizes and goes about with them, barley surviving some trials that come along. They then come to the town of Yele in the Bonthe District where they are surrounded by RUF fighters. They are all forcibly conscripted by the army to fight; with the help of drugs, war movies, fellow soldiers, and combat violent this becomes fairly easy for them. It is during this time that Beah becomes a mindless killer, definitely a different Beah from the beginning of the book. He is then released from the army to the UNICEF a few years later in January of 1996. Beah is taken to shelter in the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, and brought back to good health. He and some other children cause trouble for the staffers. Beah is also going through a tough time by experiencing drug withdrawal as well as troubling memories of his time as a solder. At this rehabilitation shelter he meets a nurse, Esther, who becomes a huge part of his life. He becomes very close with Esther and begins to visit her on a daily basis and even get presents from her. I think this is a good thing for Ismael at this part of his life because he has that person to talk to sense he does not have family and it makes him know that someone cares for him. After being in the rehabilitation center for about 7 months he is then taken out by his aunt and uncle who become his new family. From here he starts a new life with them and even gets to go to New York to speak to people about the lives of children in Sierra and what can be done about it.
This book was very interesting to me in ways I did not think it would be. One thing I liked about this book is explained in much detail everything that happened to Beah and his friends and others. I really like when books are in great detail and you can literally imagine what is going on and picture it in your head. Even though when I was reading about some of the dead bodies and what was seen, it got me a little grossed out, I still liked the detail. Also I really liked when they compared things, for example the moon. The mom was saying "we need to strive to be like the moon." By first reading this sentence I did not understand what was meant. But then reading on it explained it more. It said everyone complains when it's too hot and too cold, but never when the moon shines, which is so true. Everyone is always complaining about something during the day and the weather but never when the moon shines. The book did appeal to me on an emotional level because it was very sad to read about what this young boy had to go through. I always knew that kids had to go through wars and see it all happen, but never have read about someone's personal whole story. It made me realize how truly lucky I am to be living the life I am, in the environment I am and having my family and friends always with me. I could never imagine barley getting through a day because I do not get food or water if I don't find any, and have a good chance of getting killed at any minute. Also it made me realize how important my family is to me. This boy not only lost his family but had to go through one of the toughest situations without any of his family. After reading this book it makes me appreciate my family a lot more because I am beyond lucky to have my family by my side through any little problem I may face.

A Long Way Gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier was written by a young man from Sierra Leone, Ishmael Beah. Beah's work was nominated for a Quill award in the Best Debut Author category. A Long Way Gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a nonfiction book. His purpose was to reach others by telling his life story as a young boy, who spent his early teen years running from rebels, watching his people die and even joining the army to kill others.

Beah's style of writing makes for a very easy read, I have been able to understand everything, and I definitely believe that his writing is accessible to all readers.

The main idea of the work is for us to walk through the life of a young boy, and for us to be put in his shoes. What make's this book so good is the visuals that the author sets up through his text. He makes it so easy for us to be a part of his story. "The last casualty that we saw that evening was a woman who carried her baby on her back. Blood was running down her dress and dripping behind her, making a trail. Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life." You can demonstrate the author's talent or the feel of the book through a quote based on how you can relate to it, understand it, see it, feel it or be a part of the quote.

Wow! Really, that's it, just wow! This book read more like a conversation (granted, a one-sided conversation in which I said nothing, but still. . .) than a book. I felt like Ishmael Beah was sitting right there beside me recounting the tragedy of his life as if it was just another day in war-free America. That's not to say, though, that it wasn't heart-wrenching and painful to read. It was honest, extraordinary, awesome, introspective, and straight-forward. And the story is a story that NEEDS to be heard. I think that it is important that people become aware of what children are put through in other countries, the wars that they are forced to fight - over time, awareness leads to action and action leads to change. Ishmael Beah told his story in such a way that forces even the most uninterested person to become aware - without making them feel like they are suffering through a history lesson. This book was everything it needed to be, everything it should be. . . and even more.
Who Should Read It? Read this if you're interested in a tragic/traumatic true story that will make you cringe and force you to become aware. No, really, whoever you are, just READ THIS BOOK!

I saw the ads for this book when it came out and was curious, but somehow never got round to reading it. Then I found it cheap and made up for lost time. It's an incredible read and unputdownable just doesn't begin to describe it.

The world of the first chapter is close enough to ours to be easily imagined, but far enough away to fascinate. Boys play American music tapes and practice dance moves in the street and life is good. Then it all falls apart.

Seeing a world so real and normal change so drastically does something to the reader. You look around yourself and wonder how safe your own world is. How quickly things change.

But Ishmael and his friends are resilient. They move on. They create a life of their own, walking through hostile countryside, avoiding solders, seeking food, making and losing friends as they wonder if their families are still alive.

Hope inspired; hope betrayed; there are passages that are almost too hard to read and you weep for the child too suddenly turned to man. But again the story twists and scenes change around. Ishmael is thrust into yet another world, human kindness and human cruelty mixed.

This memoir of a boy soldier is a story that will stay with me, a must-read, and a tale that's ultimately filled with hope despite its melancholy.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Long Way Gone. English is not Ishmael Beah's native language so his phrasing and expressions are fresh and unique. Beah's language is almost poetic at times-"The path had ended, but we kept running until the sky swallowed the sun and gave birth to the moon" (pp.97, 98). This kind of personification of nature is uncommon in western narratives. The beauty of his descriptions of nature serves as a relief from the horrors of war that were going on around him.
A strong theme is revealed through Ishmael's dialogue with an old acquaintance. His friend remembers how Ishmael's forehead used to glow. Then he said, "We didn't have any other explanations for your forehead and how it related to your character. And here you are, it isn't shining anymore" (p.92). War had robbed Ishmael of who he was-war became his identity. The strongest aspect of the book is its emotional appeal. It is impossible to learn of the atrocities of war without being affected on a deep emotional level.

if you have never read an account of children forced into war then read this. you will have an up close glimpse of the horrors they experience. excellent but very sad.

Ishmael Beah led a typical pre-teen life in Sierra Leone--hanging out with friends, going to school, performing American hip-hop songs. But when the civil war reached his village in 1992, he becomes separated from family and friends and sets off on a harrowing journey of survival through a country ravaged by war and atrocity. Captured by government troops when he is thirteen, this gentle boy is traumatized, hooked on drugs and trained to kill. Beah's beautifully written memoir tells a riveting story of fear, loss, violence, friendship and redemption. The themes of this book are relevant to adolescents today and would spark fascinating class discussions.

My gosh. This book was heavy in emotional content. It leaves you kind of hoping that Ishmael embellished his story beacuse the alternative being that the story is accurate begs the question, what are you doing to make the world a better place?

I had to google the author to see if there were more memoirs from him. His story moved me to do a research on African child soldiers.

This paragraph from page 106 is just powerful

In the forest are men waiting to destroy all our lives. We have fought them as best as we can, but there are too many of them. They are all around the village." The lieutenant made a circle in the air with his hands. "They will not give up until they capture this village. They want our food and ammunition." He paused, and slowly continued: "That is why we need strong men and boys to help us fight these guys, so that we can keep this village safe. If you do not want to fight or help, that is fine. But you will not have rations and will not stay in this village. You are free to leave, because we only want people here who can help, cook, prepare ammunition, and fight. There are enough women to run the kitchen, so we need the help of able boys and men to fight these rebels. This is your time to revenge the deaths of your families and to make sure more children do not lose their families.

A wonderful book in all the ways one would imagine. What one has to keep in mind is that he is not a professional writer or memoirist, so there are many questions left unanswered and many painful memories left unexplored (his actual years as a full-fledged soldier are fast forwarded through and rarely referred back to in any detail). This speaks volumes to the overwhelming nature of the experience. Most of the book is spent describing his life beforehand, how he ended up a soldier, and then how he was recovered. Also missing are details of how he came to be the object of UN attention. Again, I don't necessarily think he knows. But if you're looking for a book that explains the full, actual experiences of a boy soldier, his deepest feelings and fears, and a step by step description of how he was brought out, you'll be slightly disappointed. If what you want is to listen to another's experience, respect what he is and is not comfortable talking about, and seek to understand by inference rather than explanation how his world works, this will be a wonderfully fulfilling book. I must admit that I would welcome a followup book where he can perhaps look back with a little more distance and less pain, and discuss some things in the context of the history of his country and the culture of his people, things that as an American I did not understand as well as I would have wished. But I certainly do not fault him or this book for what is not there. Silence and omission are a language unto themselves.

This book was purchased for a School Summer Reading Program. The children thought it was very informative.

Not as good as the books popularity would suggest, although the book does have some compelling moments. Furthermore, a book like this on it's own is very powerful, but to me a bit of a mess when taken in the context of many other substantial memoirs. The Author's unique and apparent original tone is a mixed bag with apparent lapses, if P.T.S.D has something to do with this, then I sincerely apologize. For me it's not necessary the subject matter of the story, but how it's told that really matters, this helps greatly with the absorption. In conclusion, the majority of the public will never comprehend fully enough the realities in this book or books like it, everything seems like fiction, when you live in a fiction filled world. Recommend : The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, All Souls: A Family Story from Southie, A Piece of Cake: A Memoir.

The book was in fine condition, however it took 29 days for me to receive this book. A lot of time I think for a used paperback book (the library had it before that).

The only book that got all of my seniors engaged, interested, and curious. A CLASSIC~!

I can not suggest this book highly enough. It is Blood Diamond minus the diamond, and REAL. Be prepared to cry, and feel more intelligent by the end.

Before I started reading this book I didn't like reading because I used to think that it was boring but, I had to read this book because it was required for my class. I remember that after I read the first chapter I didn't want to put the book down because Ishmael made this book interesting and it wasn't boring. I thought that it was actually funny that a boy from Africa would listen to rap he loved to listen to rap. But I think that he did a good job by telling us his story about life and the soldier boys. I think that his childhood was really hard and also tormenting to see so many people die. And Ishmael and his friends just trying to survive and not get caught to become a soldier boy. Its sad that all those things happened in Africa and that some many kids got involved in becoming soldier boys and that they were so young. But at that young age they were tough to use a gun and kill people like if it was nothing. And I understand how Ishmael now that he is older still a little tormented by all those things that he lived with. But at the same time he was lucky that he was able to come to the U.S. and get adopted by someone from the U.S. and was able to go to College and write his life story. I would suggest this book to anyone to read!!!

I read this book without reading any prior reviews and couldn't put it down because I wanted to know how everything played out. I began to read these reviews and did a little research on the accuracy of this book. There are many events to question and few that have been disproved. So the problem is how much of the events actually happened to the author. (Spoiler) The wild pig chase, losing his family right before he was going to find them again, a few boys taking out a whole rebel unit, a 24 hour fight (no one runs out of ammo), being saved by his rap cassette, vivid detailed dreams, the grenade toss, and being stripped searched by border soldiers but then having money to take a cab are some of the events that may make you wonder is this fact vs. fiction.
The author should have explained the rationale for burning villages and killing civilians. Was it tribal, religious, or just economic? Also a chapter explaining the history of the civil war rather than a historic time line would have been helpful.
Finally I was left wondering what responsiblities should boy soliders have to bear. Should they be charged, including the author, with war crimes for killing prisoners and slaughtering civilians? If they are not charged and punished will that insure more future child soldiers?

The candid account of a Leonian who exemplifies the chief export of Sierra Leone - Resiliance.

Beginning with a Leonian middle class kid who couldn't wait to hit the next hip hop event with his friends, the reader is swept up with Beah in his experience as it happens. From terrified dislodged tweenager looking for food and family, through his evolution to the most deadly and dangerous of human weapons, the Author takes us along, openly, without patronizing or passing judgement on himself or others.

One quickly learns that child soldiers are not merely boot-fillers, not just to swell the ranks of otherwise adult forces. On the contrary, these children are among the most deadly of all human begings. Without the life experience to develop normal moral code, completely stripped of all connection to family and normal life, with youth allowing uncanny physical endurance and capability, they become the most remorseless, ruthless, and skilled of killing machines.

Recruited for their clean mental slate, twisted adults will drive them to robot-like assassin status, then unleash them to obliterate entire communities. Read, and witness.

Without the likes of Ishmael Beah, we would not have the insight to understand the phenomenon. Jarring, sad, disturbing, current, and ultimately uplifting, this work haunts.

This novel is uninspiring at best. I would expect a novel about child soldiers to inspire me to want to do something about the situation but, really, it just left me like "eh, oh well."
It's very redundant without much suspense. I struggled to turn the pages at times- that's how bored I was.
The way he ended the book was horrible
This was my first time reading a book on this subject so I should've been easily impressed, unfortunately, i wasn't.

Overall, you should skip this book.

The item came in the condition that it said. I was very surprised it was in new condition, no writings, or bent bindings. Very glad I bough this item!

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is one of the most powerful books I've read in years; I was painfully trapped in the experiences of young Ishmael. I recommend this memoir to readers of all ages. I could not put the book down.

I truly enjoyed A Long Way Gone. While it is a difficult read and will leave you reeling with emotion, you are also stunned at the resiliency of the human spirit. I found myself reading his story and repeatedly asking myself, How? How does one overcome what he has and still smile? This book has, somewhat selfishly, feel more fortunate for what I have. No matter what troubles me, it is no comparison. I look forward to hearing more from Ishmael.

this book was wonderfully written. ishmael beah writes in such a voice that it seems as though he is speaking directly to you. it is such a personal and moving story. when i initially was learning about the war in sierra leone, and i came across this book, i was thinking that he fought for the RUF. however, in reading this you learn that he ends up fighting for the sierra leoneian army. while i do not agree with the tactics of either the RUF or the sierra leoneian army, i do think that the RUF is given a bad name. the sierra leoneian army was guilty of having child soldiers, some that were so young they couldn't even hold the guns they were supposed to fight with. it is an amazing feat, and so much that he had to endure to escape that life. well written memoir!

Unfortunately this book was marred for me by the controversy over whether or not it is authentic memoir or a composite fictional account. The thought that these things happen to any child is horrific. Beah describes them in spare but vivid language without getting bogged down in description. He puts a face on UNESCO statistics. The telling is sometimes graphic; the emotions of children killing, dying and living with the nightmares of what they have seen and done is raw. Not all his child-soldier companions make it out, either physically or emotionally. The setting is Sierra Leone, but, tragically, it could just as easily have been Sudan, Uganda, Congo, Mozambique, or Angola.

I had heard about the controversy surrounding this book. Is it really memoir or is it a composite of several people's stories? I understand the value of composites. My own novel, The Wooden Ox, weaves the experiences of Mozambican friends and people in the news together with my family's war experiences into one coherent story. I thought I would be able to read Beah's book as a similar piece of true-to-life fiction. Not so. The account was marred for me by constant thoughts, "He lied. He made it up. This didn't really happen to him." They kept me from getting as fully into the story as I'm sure I would have in straight fiction.

Of course, some of it really did happen to Ishmael Beah. I did enough research on child soldiers for The Wooden Ox to not doubt that the rest of the book happened to someone or is typical of what could have happened. The thought that these things happen to any child is horrific. Beah describes them vividly without getting bogged down in description. He puts a face on UNESCO statistics. The telling is sometimes graphic; the emotions of children killing, dying and living with the nightmares of what they have seen and done is raw. Not all his child-soldier companions make it out, either physically or emotionally. I'm sorry that Beah's credibility has been damaged because he didn't say outright, "Some liberties have been taken in order to show more effectively the plight of children in my country."

Not much that I can say that hasn't already been put forth. What I will say for me personally, this was one book I found hard to put down. If ever a page turner, this was it! It has deserved every accolade it has gotten.

I purchased this book to learn more about the horrible things going on in Sierra Leone.. I was not prepared for what I would be learning... and I am sure there is a lot more to this than was written... to think that this is still going on in Africa and the world is watching, or more like turning their heads... the story of Ishmael is very well written and drew me into the life he had to live to survive... it was a great book and if you are looking for a read to learn about the trouble these children are living, I highly recommend it... I have passed it on and it will be traveling for some time I am sure...

The saga of Sierra Leone's two wrenching civil wars has not received enough attention in the press for a long while now. I guess if it was a major oil producer, this would have been different.

Child soldiers continue to be the victims and unfortunately aggressors in many conflicts in Africa. This despicable practice has been used by both rebels and govt forces as a convenient way to prey on children's desperation and poverty. Beah's story also gives a faint glimmer of hope to people working hard to bring these hardened killers back to some normalcy. These kids are killers and simple justice dictates that they be punished to 'set an example'. However it serves nobody any good by just dumping these kids in jails or executing them. Rehabbing them is the best hope to slowly fight and end this practice.

The book could have gone a little bit more in detail about Beah's thought process as he evolved from a simple village kid to a killing machine. Maybe he had a hard chronicling it in words. Either way, the book is a must read. His journey back from the abyss is also testament to the heroic efforts of all the aid workers who made it possible. I hope Beah works at helping other child soldiers since he does have a unique perspective.

This was a great book. It's up there on the level of The Road where you honestly can't believe how bad something can be. To know that this is a true story of a boy is just heart breaking.

The story is very well told and you find yourself caring greatly for the boy Ishmael.

Highly Recommend.

I read this book for a college course. It was a good book, not only for school but also casual reading. I am a little disappointed that it was limited to what we want to know about child soldiers. If he was to tell everything with passion and in his own view, it would have been better. I know some may say that I'm wrong and he did capture what he saw, but in today's world it's not possible. Most people have to alter their stories to fulfill what the world wants to see, hear, and feel. Don't get me wrong, it was a wonderful and powerful book about child soldiers in parts of Africa, but it could have been better.

I loved this book. I had the chance to hear Ishmael Beah just last year when he spoke at a school near mine. This was before I read his book. The school i was visiting (Cushing Academy, Ashburnham MA) had all their students read his book and so he discussed the content of the book freely. The things he said really intrigued me. He was a well spoken confident individual, which says a lot considering his life story. I praise Ishmael for his strength to share his story. Every ones perspective is unique and his perspective is one not often seen by the human race. It is a sad story, a real story, and a story of courageousness, full of life lessons and thought provoking realities.

This book was heart-wrenching and enlightening at the same time. A very moving look at a very bad childhood, from Ishmael's escape from the rebels, to his stint in the government army of Sierra Leone, to the transition back to normality. My one quibble, and the reason I gave it four stars instead of five, is that it ended very abruptly, and I kept looking for the pages my copy of the book was clearly missing. But for the most part, I found myself grateful for my own life and that Beah would share his story, the horrific stories of the war mingling with the beautiful memories of his young childhood with his family.

"A Long Way Gone" is an extremely interesting book written by Ishmael Beah a former child solider that fought in the war in Sierra Leone.

The book follows Ishmael starting when he was 13 through his life at the beginning of the war, the terrible things that were done to innocent civilians and how he was forced to witness the dreadful things happening around him. He fought in the ranks of the Sierra Leone Army as a child soldier. He witnessed terrible things and then did the same terrible things himself with his own two hands that even seem horrible for grown men to do.

I think it's important to be aware of what's going on in our world

I highly recommend this book to everyone

I listened to the audio book version of "A long way gone" and found it a very interesting and worthwhile listening experience.

The author Ishmael Beah shares his traumatic experience of surviving the civil war in Sierra Leone. He had a normal childhood until his village got attacked by rebels and all of his family got displaced. After seeing a lot of horrific scenes and coming very close to death Ishmael finally finds his family in a far away village but before their reunion the rebels attack once more, this time killing the whole village including the authors family. After this Ishmael is changed forever and eventually joins up with the army as a child soldier to ensure his own survival. It's heartbreaking to see how a basically good kid is turned into a killer by his environment.
Thankfully Ismael gets a second chance and is selected for a rehabilitation program that helps him to become a child again. Unfortunately the war catches up with him once more. But instead of turning into a soldier again he decides to flea to America. To my disappointment this was where the story left off. I would have really liked to hear more about how he actually made it to the States and what life was like for him in the new and strange place.

Overall, a good read and I would recommend it.

From the outset it was a given that the write was going to be "drafted." After all, the subtitle is "Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." The suspense was in seeing how it would happen, and at whose hands. Somehow I expected it to happen suddenly and against all logic, but when it did it made sense in a sick way. It seemed a duty and there didn't appear to be any alternative to taking up arms. This book tells a true story of survival, misery, degradation and restoration. It will shock sheltered Westerners who have never seen life beyond their secure borders and outside their relatively stable political systems. Hopefully, though, it will also anger, encourage and inspire people to take informed action on behalf of people in war-torn territories around the world.

I thought that this was an exceptional book that showed what happens to many young boys in Africa who are affected by war. It was a truly touching story that helped me to understand what was going on in Africa. A bit shocking at points but all in all a very good and uplifting story.

It's always difficult to critique someone's memoirs especially when it's non-comedic. It is their re-telling of their lives, their interpretation of events they experienced. How can you review the lenses through which someone is looking at themselves? I think the best I can do is review how the narration affected me.
I first came across Ishamel Beah when he made a book tour stop on Book TV and he came off as a sincere young man with the most innocent smile. I wondered at how much of a survivor he must be - to have undergone and participated in the worst of horrors and still be able to let go of bitterness and smile so cleanly out of his heart. That made an impression on me and I filed ' A Long Way Gone' for reading sometime in the future.
A year later and I am writing a class paper on Sierra Leone's decade-long diamond war and I remembered Ishmael and his book and thought it would give me a great first hand account perspective. It did. So much so I had to stop reading every now and then to give myself emotional and mental breaks, to stop myself from retching, to breathe, to come back into the real world and be reminded that goodness and light still do exist.

I like that he avoids glorifying violence, that he is not a gratuitous writer. I also like that he does not fall into the trap of poor stylistic writing like many other memoir authors who take for granted that since they are telling the truth, literary style should not matter. A story is only ever good if it is told well regardless of if it is factual or fictional.

In the course of researching my paper, I came across claims that disputed the veracity of Beah's claims of being a boy soldier. While I do not condone any type of literary dishonesty, I do think it wise to have hard evidence that disproves Beah. They could for instance investigate UNICEF records, interview his extended family in Freetown and so forth.
I personally believed Beah's story. I found no reason not to. It is pretty standard to exaggerate or embellish facts. We all do that in everyday life and it is an accepted literary device. Also, considering the trauma and the time frame between experiencing those events and writing the book, is it not possible he could have unintentionally gotten his dates and timeline of events mixed up?

I could go on and on but I think the point of the book was to bring attention to the tragic use of child soldiers in warfare, the lack of sufficient psychological counseling for former child soldiers, the bleak future of a generation of Sierra Leone's limbless youth and raising money for his foundation which tackles these issues. I think that was/is his point and should be ours too.

Ishmael Beah. A child soldier. Sierra Leone, Africa, early 1990s, a country lacerated by civil war. This is the testimony of a child whose parents and siblings were killed. Life in his native village had been simple and carefree until then. Roaming endlessly through the forests with some equally unlucky children, all young, alone, afraid and uncomprehending, trying to escape the violence that changed their life in a matter of seconds, they all ended up being caught, recruited, brainwashed and turned into soldiers. They were drugged heavily to endure what they were told to do. And they did it. Lack of obedience meant sure death.
Ishmael Beah managed to survive. After a couple of years in the inferno, he was chosen to be part of a rehabilitation program and later on fate landed him in the USA.
The book, written in the following years, delivers the account utilizing the language of a child his age (at the time, he was 13). I have the feeling that some parts were omitted here and there (even if some graphically vicious and disturbing scenes were described), but this was probably done to define a line between seeking the sordid and getting to the gist of the matter, delivered through the voice of a child: condemning the atrocity of war recruiting innocent children and turning them into drugged up soldiers. A painfully sharp book. Heartbreaking.

This book really puts other cultures and how they live into prospective. It can be a little horrific at times, but this stuff really happened. If you are into other cultures (Anthropology) it's a must have.

I do feel on occasion that the distance that seperates us in North America from the strife in the world can have a de-humanizing effect on our view of conflict and struggle. I purchased this book for that very purpose and can honestly say that it did a great job of humanizing this, and other current issues, for me.

The writing is well structured, language is simple, but not simplistic. All in all, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a fantastic book that reveals the true horrors of the civil war in Sierra Leone. Beah gives a horrific, but amazing tale of his life as a young soldier. He lived a normal life at first, but the rebels soon captured his village. He was gone that day, however, and escaped. He started traveling from village to village, until he was drafted into the army. He then started ruthless killings, murdering the people he believed responsible for his parent's death. After awhile, he got picked up by UNICEF, who took him to the capital of Sierra Leone, which was still primarily safe at the time. He eventually gets moved to the United States through the U.N.
This is a fanatistic book that gives you a completely different perspective on your life. I recommend this book to everyone, of all ages, because it is a truly inspirational tale of one boy's hardships in a brutal civil war.