A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER:Ishmael Beah: Farrar, Straus and Giroux: 2007: 226 pages: Nonfiction

Ishmael Beah currently works for the Human Rights Watch Children’s Advisory Committee but he was once a child soldier in Sierra Leone. As a child of 13, after running for nearly a year from the violence that separated him from his family, he was pressed into the army and taught to use an AK47. Food, drugs and a feeling of security after months of running turned him into a killing machine loyal to his unit. He experienced unthinkable violence over a period of three years before he was released to a UN rehabilitation camp. His story is gripping and frightening. It is remarkable that a person can find not only health and sanity after such terrible experiences but also dedicate himself as an adult to help other children in the world who are affected by war.

This book is very well written. After coming to the United States, Ishmael obviously has used the opportunities given him to transform himself and contribute to the welfare of others like him. This is a painful book to read. If you found that you learned from They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky you will also be moved by this book. An interview with Mr. Beah can be seen on You Tube.

SH