A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Picture: Google Images

Much has been written about this memoir of former child soldier Ishmael Beah, who survived Sierra Leone's bloody civil war. Rap music-loving Ishmael travels across the country with his brother and a band of friends, fleeing the war. They take refuge at a village protected by the Sierra Leone's regular army, where they soon realize that they are trapped, surrounded by rebel forces. They must join the fight against the rebels or be annihilated. So begins Ishmael's transition from a terrified child to a cold-blooded professional killer at the age of 12. What I found memorable about A Long Way Gone is that the reader gains a fresh understanding of the reality, the drive for survival, that makes it possible for children to become pawns in armed conflicts. Even the most hardened reader will appreciate that Ishmael's story reads like an action movie. It is difficult to imagine that the experiences related are those of a child. It is even more difficult to imagine that he survived those experiences, despite the odds, only to face stigmatization for being a former soldier. This is more than a riveting read, it is an education. To quote an excerpt from a Washington Post review, "Everyone in the world should read this book."