A Long Way Gone- Ishmael Beah

         A Long Way Gone is a great memoir about a young boy who is pressed into service during the civil war in Sierra Leone. When the rebels attack the village, twelve year old Ishmeal learns about survival and death in a personal and painful way. He is forced into military service and the acts of war, seen from the eyes of a young boy are heartbreaking. The acts committed are horrendous but the humanity that surfaces from a place of darkness is heartwarming; the vivid details Ishmael recounts in his story make the scene come alive better than a million dollar film could do justice. Surprisingly, it is not the horrible acts of war committed that stand out in the reader’s mind, but the struggle Ishmael faces in rehabilitation to rejoin society after relieved from his role in the army. Ishmael’s book is being taught in some schools and though the content can be graphic at times, many students are unaware of the many atrocities of war that occur all over the world. The book is incredibly moving and a great read for anyone!
”No one is born violent. No child in Africa, Latin America or Asia wants to be part of war. These are situations children are forced into . . . It is easy for a child to become a soldier but it is much more difficult to recover one’s humanity.” 
-Ishmael Beah: UNICEF conference, 2007, Paris.


~ Jourdan Schwagner Morgan~