A long way gone by Ishmael Beah

Title: a long way gone (memoirs of a boy soldier)
Author: ishmael beah
Publisher: harper perennial
Pages: 229 (softcover)
Rating: 5 out of 5

Ishmael Beah’s story of surviving war torn Sierra Leone isn’t heart-wrenching, but heart-warming. It is the story of a boy who passes through stages in life unheard of to most of us: it starts with innocence, moves on to fright and fear for dear life, on to fight for life and country (he is recruited as child soldier into the army) and finally salvation through rehabilitation.

There is the main story told in chronological order, which talks about his childhood and how it is torn apart by the war (the army versus the Revelutionary United Front (RUF)). His introduction to the war begins by running away from the RUF, and ends with him working side by side with the army in attacking and clearing RUF bases at the tender age of 13.

Most of the soldiers in these wars are children, recruited for their speed, small size and easy conversion to inhumane killing machines. These children run guns and other dangerous weapons and do a variety of drugs while killing people (innocent or otherwise).

As the story progresses he intersperses the main story line with stories from his childhood, culture, and tribe, told in flashback. He is lucky to escape the war when UNICEF forces arrive to select child soldiers for rehabilitation and life away from war.

The book details out not only the war and Ishmael’s part in it, but also how many deep mental scars a war leaves behind. Rehabilitation for these kids is not as easy as it sounds, and takes months (maybe even years) of slow and careful love and attention, both for the physical and mental aspects of their well being. Trust is a big issue, as these children have been through so much that they refuse to trust another human being.

Ishmeal is one of the lucky few who makes it out of the war. Today he is a human rights activist and works for the rights of people in war torn regions of the world. He lives with his mother Laura in New York, whom he met when he went to the US in 1996 to talk at a UN conference.

(According to this wikipedia article, some facets of Beah’s story have undergone scrutiny for their veracity. Read the page on Ishmael Beah at wikipedia for more information.)

I am adding this book to Orbis Terrarum challenge. The author was born in Sierra Leone. (Thank you Violet for introducing me to this challenge through your last post).