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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: memoir,  africa,  war,  nonfiction,  non-fiction (all tags)

Discussions

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  • -katiebee-

    -katiebee- said:

    “I'm almost through the first 100 pages. Definitely a hard book to read, but well written. It's easy, but hard, if that makes any sense. His stories pierce your heart.”

    posted Saturday, August 23 2008
  • er0s p

    er0s p said:

    “i should definitely have a copy of this b0ok..”

    posted Saturday, August 16 2008
  • 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
  • Alfreada Brown-Kelly

    alfreada brown-kelly said:

    “I read this book because I am a Criminal Justice major at Old Dominion Univrsity in Norfolk, VA and it was one of the books required for my class CRJU 403 Violence in the World of Children. This book really opened my eyes to the violence children endure in other countries. I was shocked and appalled at the different forms of violence these children endure. living in the United States of America is a privilege and blessing compred to what children have to endure in war torn areas.”

    posted Sunday, May 18 2008
  • Laura Miller

    laura miller said:

    “We read this in school. As in the ENTIRE school read it over the audio tape over a period of four days. I rarely like books on audio, but his voice made the story seem so real. This book is pretty intense, but it's very good.”

    posted Tuesday, May 13 2008
  • -katiebee-

    -katiebee- said:

    “I can't wait for the paperback to come out... It caught my interest after watching that movie "Blood Diamond." The horrible things that they do to children is just ... beyond words. I don't know how anyone could survive something like this.”

    posted Tuesday, April 22 2008
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