A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
 

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah




My new friends have begun to suspect 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... (read more)

Top tags: memoirafricawarnonfictionnon-fiction (all tags)

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Liked It

Anna
  • Rated 4 stars

It's amazing how much a human can overcome only to be reborn. I don't know if I have ever known such strength.

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Didn’t Like It

Lucia H
  • Rated 2 stars

My high school chose this book for their "One School, One Book" project. Unfortunately, it did not go over well with my students.

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  • Rated 4.232893 stars
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  • Rated 0 stars
 

Newest Comments

  • flashflood59

    flashflood59 said:

    I couldn't agree more, Zawadi. I found this book horrifying and moving as well as intensely relevant.
    Flashflood42

    posted Monday, June 9 2008 ( | view 1 reply )
  • zawadi

    zawadi said:

    Does the book bring attention to the real plight of boy soldiers? Is the celebrity of the book and the author raising legitimate outrage? If the answer is yes to both, then I care less if there is more fiction than fact here, particularly given the steady diet of drivel about pop celebrities whose lives and actions are meaningless is fed to us in the West in gross quantities. If this book is not completely factual it is still far more relevant than the Hollywood news and tabloid trash streaming non-stop on the net, t.v and radio.

    posted Saturday, June 7 2008
  • rebecca

    rebecca said:

    Devona,

    Slate had an article about the "controversy" a few months back. Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.slate.com/id/2185928/pagenum/all/

    posted Saturday, June 7 2008
  • Christina S

    christina s said:

    This book is almost hard to digest. I haven't even finished it yet (halfway through) and it is killing me to look at my son and think that other boys are going through such horrific life experiences in other parts of the world. It really makes you appreciate what you have and how safe we are in America.

    posted Tuesday, June 3 2008
  • Jubaju Q

    jubaju q said:

    This took me a while to processes; its not for someone with a weak stomach. But if you want to know the hard truth about the stuff that those kids have to go through, this is it.

    posted Thursday, May 22 2008
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