Ishmael Beah - A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (6/52)

Ishmael Beah was only 13 years old when he was recruited as a child soldier to fight in the war in Sierra Leone. This is his story. Beah is a marvelous storyteller and though his story on its own is quite compelling, his mastery of words truly brought his story to life.

The experiences Beah recounts are so unbelievable and horrifying that the book is sometimes very difficult to read. When he talks about the first time he killed a man, I got shivers up and down my spine. It is heartbreaking to read Beah's story - to see how such an innocent child was systematically and inhumanely transfomed into a killing machine. It's even more heartbreaking to think that he was only one of thousands upon thousands of children who were forced to commit heinous war atrocities. But Beah's story is not one of heartbreak - in fact, it is one of hope and humanity. Beah proves that light can come from even the darkest of places. In telling his story, he has educated and enlightened the world on the horrifying events that transpired during the war and put into motion the beginnings of rehabilitation and healing.

What I really enjoyed in his memoir were his stories of people uniting and helping each other despite the atmosphere of distrust and fear that the war rebels cultivated and enforced through terror. How he and his friends stuck together through thick and thin, and learned more about life and humanity within the span of a few years than most of us will ever experience in our lifetimes. How the strangers they encountered had lost everything yet still shared what little food or shelter they had.

There isn't really much more I can say about this book, other than please read it. It will change your life and the way you regard humanity.