A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: Book Review

 

In 1993, the country of Sierra Leone was drowned in war. Ishmael Beah and his mother live in a small village. One day, while entering a talent show, they realize that their town has been taken over by a rebel force wishing to overthrow the government. While trying to escape the violence, Ishmael gets taken by government forces. Ishmael is forced to become a child soldier fighting for the government. He and his friends are provided guns and a lot of drugs. Soon after this scene, he kills a man for the first time. The sad fact, while it is important to remember, is that he is only thirteen years old. For the next two years, as the war ensues, Ishmael commits and views atrocities to his own people. Ishmael and his fellow soldiers are provided with nonstop supplies of guns, ammunition, and many forms of drugs, including marijuana and cocaine. He escapes death on many occasions and he receives a ‘promotion’ after becoming very good at killing. After this period, Ishmael is let go and is helped by aid workers to assimilate back into civilian life. He suffers from drug withdrawal, and a constant urge to fight. Eventually, Ishmael goes to live with his uncle in Freeport. He even goes to New York for a conference and then returns. The war resurfaces, so after rebel forces reach near Freeport, the place where Ishmael is, he decides to flee the country.

This may be one of my favorite books ever. I am not going to give it a rating, because a five out of five would not do this book justice. I have read many books about war, but none had the firsthand experience that this one did. I constantly found myself forgetting that this book is a memoir and not some historical fiction. This book discusses issues that are not a priority for many people. Child soldiers are a human rights issue that is not focused on as much as it should. There are hundreds of thousands of child soldiers and the fact that we are more focused on the latest celebrity gossip worries me. Before reading this book, I had never even heard of child soldiers before, and I was in disbelief that a thirteen year old can kill so many men. But after my second read of the book, I realized that Ishmael has no choice. This was a moving book and I really hope that you have the time to read it.

- Rishabh