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 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 ...
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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 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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Add this copy of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier to cart. $1.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Douglas & McIntyre.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Book. Signed by Author(s) First edition, first printing as evidenced by a complete number line from 1 to 5; signed boldly on the title page by Ishmael Beah with no inscription; some edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy in collectable condition.
This is a reguired reading for my daughter's high school honors English class this summer. She said it was a very good read.
Velma
Oct 3, 2007
Unforgettable
This truly unforgettable autobiography relates a lifestyle that only a few Americans could ever be familiar with. The courage and honesty of the author takes my breath away. An important story that everyone should read
nordicleather
Sep 20, 2007
10 out of 10 child in a warzone
This is one of the very best autobiographies I have every read. He was a child soldier in Sierra Leonne which was a warzone. How he got through it with the traits common to all survivors. This book is a profile in courage, bravery and mental strength and what it takes to endure. A must read for anyone who thinks they had it tough. There is always someone who had it tougher.
sd6161
Sep 12, 2007
Children at War
In a long way gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah brings forth an account of the violent and savage assult a war can shed, not only on a country, but on it's people and their children. His testimony as a child witness and participant to such an unspeakable tragedy is chilling and heart rendering; akin to those of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel, both childhood lives greatly disturbed by war and greatly celebrated for the courageous ways inwhich they shared their experiences. This is a must read for all teens and adults.
GIRLCHRIS
Jun 20, 2007
Story of survival and humanity
I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults. It is a moving story of the author's boyhood. It shows what any of us are capable of doing in order to survive. Also, it helps us to understand that redemption is possible. We are not always what we do or, in the author's case, are forced to do. The author's basic human nature was able to rebound from his horrible experiences.
