CITATION: Beah, I. (2007). A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.IDENTIFYING #: 9780374105235
CLASSIFICATION: Nonfiction
GENRE: Biography
CALL #: 921 BEAH
CLASSIFICATION: Nonfiction
GENRE: Biography
CALL #: 921 BEAH
RECOMMENDED AGE/GRADE: Adult
RATING: 5
Annotation: A powerful story of loss and redemption in which Ishmael Beah tells how war turned a normal, happy village boy into a killing machine, and how the humanity of others helped him fight his way back to himself and find peace.
Summary: A brutal, but inspiring autobiography, in which Beah details how he lost his family and became a child soldier in the civil war that wracked his homeland, Sierra Leone. Forced to flee his village and wander with a band of parentless and homeless children, Beah is eventually kidnapped, drugged, brainwashed, and taken captive by government soldiers.
The soldiers introduce the children to warfare by cold-bloodedly murdering rebel soldiers in front of them. They tell them, “(if you pity them), just remember they probably killed your family worse.” Beah’s tale is about innocence lost and redemption. Most people would think that becoming a soldier at such a critical age in one’s development would be a point of no return, but Beah shows us that it’s never too late to regain your humanity.
Notes: Some adults would argue that this book is too graphic and violent for teens, but in a society gripped by violence, Beah shows us that there is a way out. Teens will be informed about world events mostly unfamiliar to them, but many will relate to it on a personal level as the violence of civil war bears a close resemblance to gang violence. While many books about war seem far-removed, or grim and hopeless, A Long Way Gone establishes a personal connection through humor, relatable characters and values. It inspires, because we already know (because he survives to write this book) that Beah makes it out, and if a child, trained as a killer, can regain his humanity, there is hope for us all.
Multimedia Presentations from Ishmael Beah's Website
See him talk about his book, war, his life in Somalia, and hip hop!
