A LONG WAY GONE

Non-Fiction - History - ISBN: 0007253826, 0374531269, 0007247087 more

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The first-person account of a 25-year-old who fought in the war in Sierra Leone as a 12-year-old boy. 'My new friends have begun to suspect that I haven't told them the full story...
more...of my life. "Why did you leave Sierra Leone?" "Because there is a war." "You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?" "Yes, all the time." "Cool." I smile a little. "You should tell us about it sometime." "Yes, sometime."' This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived. Ishmael Beah, now twenty-five years old, tells a riveting story: how at the age of twelve in Sierra Leone, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found he was capable of truly terrible acts. This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty. Ishmael Beah came to the United States when he was seventeen, and graduated from Oberlin College in 2003. He lives in New York City.

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All A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah reviews

A LONG WAY GONE

A review by BLUEBELL19 on A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah
August 2nd, 2008

Author's product rating: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah - rated by BLUEBELL19

Degree of Information	High
How interesting was the book?	Compelling
How useful was it?	Very useful
Would you read it again?	Yes
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	TRUE STORY
Disadvantages:	NONE

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

What a fantastic read. Couldn't put it down. If you love a human story of triumph over evil this is it. The book starts with the every day life of a family much like everyone else, but soon turns into a nightmare of huge proportions and experiences that no child should ever have to endure. It is the story of a childs survival through a brutal conflict. To think that this was happening on a day when we were all probably just getting on with the mundane things of every day life over here is just so heart wrenching. It makes you want to hold onto your family and be thankful that they are safe. If this book does not touch you I would be amazed. A must read

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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah Pages: 397, Edition: Lrg, Paperback, Large Print Distribution	£ 7.90	Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...	Visit Shop > Amazon.co.uk
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - Ishmael Beah Pages: 240, Hardcover, Fourth Estate Ltd	£ 10.49	Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...	Visit Shop > Amazon.co.uk
Fourth Estate Ltd - Ishmael Beah Pages: 240, Hardcover, Fourth Estate Ltd	£ 10.49	Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...	Visit Shop > Amazon Marketplace