A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 52,242 ratings · 5,646 reviews

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 tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”

This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up o...more

ebook, 240 pages

Published April 1st 2007 by Sarah Crichton Books (first published February 13th 2007)

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Nov 23, 2008 Abigail rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Students of African History, Human Beings interested in Human Rights

Shelves: human-rights, biography-memoir, war, sierra-leone

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Feb 02, 2008 steven rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The review for this one is a toss-up between one and five stars. It was an amazing story of how a twelve-year-old boy survived the armed conflicts in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. It's well-written, provides vivid imagery, and evokes the horrors of war.

The one star is because of the vivid imagery. Let's be perfectly clear about this: people die in this book. Blood spatters everywhere, usually blood that should be kept inside some of the narrator's closest friends. From the very first page to the ve...more The review for this one is a toss-up between one and five stars. It was an amazing story of how a twelve-year-old boy survived the armed conflicts in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. It's well-written, provides vivid imagery, and evokes the horrors of war.

The one star is because of the vivid imagery. Let's be perfectly clear about this: people die in this book. Blood spatters everywhere, usually blood that should be kept inside some of the narrator's closest friends. From the very first page to the very last, you are kept on a rollercoaster ride of emotion, happy one minute and torn with grief the next, until you and the narrator have both attained a kind of wariness to happiness since you know it won't last. There's a constant suspense of waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it does it hits the ground like a ten-ton hammer.

This book is disturbing. It's a good read, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping; this wont' help at all. Every once in a while my mind will flit to one of the scenes in the book, and I'll wince; it's like I'm having minor flashbacks of things that *never happened to me*. The writing is just that evocative and heart-wrenching.

When I was done reading it -- and I wouldn't have picked it up at all, knowing the subject matter, if it wasn't assigned for a class -- I threw it aside. I'm going to do my best to remember only the general overarching story, and to forget the specific details of the hardship.

An overview, so that you don't have to read it if you don't want to: Sierra Leone has been war-torn since the discovery of the diamond mines in the 1960s; in the 90s things really hit the fan. Children as young as seven were pressed into military service, hopped up on cocaine and other various drugs, and sent out to kill. This happened on both sides of the war; the rebels and the "formal" army. Civilians merely provided a target-rich environment, their villages good only for forceful resupply of ammunition and food. The narrator's village is attacked, and he and a couple of his friends manage to escape and wander the country, moving from village to village. They can never settle down, because everyone is wary of children, worried that they may be brainwashed militants. Eventually, after much hardship and losing his friends to gunfire, the narrator is "trained" as a soldier and sent out to fight. Only through the intervention of UNICEF was he given an opportunity to be rehabilitated and managed to regain some semblance of a normal life, but there could be no hope of that lasting while he lived in Sierra Leone. So he escaped to New York, where he's been more or less living ever since.(less)

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Aug 19, 2010 Praj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Ms. Naomi Campbell,

I have always been an ardent aficionado of your work; from your heydays sashaying the YSL runaways along with Linda Evangelista to crooning in George Michael’s Freedom video. Your numerous sexual trysts with celebrated oligarchs and other questionable chaps were highly fascinating although not marvelous. But lately, you seem to forego your sadistic tantrums and suffer from a transient global amnesia. Is it due to those numerous chalky dust lines running through your nasal...more

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Feb 09, 2008 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: current-events, history, top-shelf

I will never. Never. Complain about my childhood again.

Okay, that's not true. I will. But when I let out a sad sigh of remorse that I didn't figure out exactly why I really wanted to be friends with that one guy in band in high school until it was way too late to do anything about it, I will at least think, "At least I wasn't killing people and snorting gunpowder."

Like most of you reading this, I knew absolutely nothing about what was happening in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. I didn't know there w...more I will never. Never. Complain about my childhood again.

Okay, that's not true. I will. But when I let out a sad sigh of remorse that I didn't figure out exactly why I really wanted to be friends with that one guy in band in high school until it was way too late to do anything about it, I will at least think, "At least I wasn't killing people and snorting gunpowder."

Like most of you reading this, I knew absolutely nothing about what was happening in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. I didn't know there was anything to know. For all I knew, we had fixed Africa back in '84 when the First World Lonely Hearts Club Band belted out "We Are The World" and made us all notice the famine in Ethiopia. And anyway, that was in east Africa. West Africa was supposed to be a little better organized.

Shows how much I knew. Turns out all hell was breaking loose. After more than a decade of one-party rule, the Sierra Leonean military got into power and behaved pretty much the same way most African military governments did. Badly.

In reaction, a rebel group, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) started rampaging through the country. Their initial cause was to get rid of a corrupt government, but they very quickly went corrupt themselves, burning and slaughtering as they went. The rebels were vicious and bloodthirsty, and one of their most common ways of recruiting was to murder men and woman en masse and bring their sons into the fold. They would manipulate them with fear and drugs and hate, turning boys of ten, eleven, twelve years old into murderers.

Ishmael Beah was on the other end of this. His family was killed when the RUF ran over his town, along with most of his friends. He and his schoolmates tried to run away, but were eventually ensnared by the army. The army of Sierra Leone were hard-pressed to fight the rebels, and needed recruits. So they would take in boys who had been left orphaned and rootless by the war and hook them on fear and drugs and hate, turning boys of ten, eleven, twelve years old into murderers.

Hmmm....

This is the story of Beah's descent into horror and his successful return from it. He was one of way too many child soldiers in Africa, and probably one of the very few who came through his experience not only intact, but willing to write about it. I first saw him on The Daily Show, and honestly it is really tough to reconcile what you read in this book with the bright-eyed, smiling young man sitting across from Jon Stewart.

Thanks to Dad, for the birthday present.... *smile*(less)

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Sep 24, 2007 Bethany Andrews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, nonfiction, multi-culturallit

The long and the short of things is that this book is phenomonal. Incredible. Horrifying. Beautiful. It's written in a very straightforward manner; its rather simple and in most places lacks any type of real depth. However, the story that those words are telling is one that I will never forget.

The story is set in Sierra Leone in the early 1990's. The author, Ishmael, is just a young boy of twelve when his village is attacked by rebel troops. Ishmael finds himself orphaned and on the run in a war...more The long and the short of things is that this book is phenomonal. Incredible. Horrifying. Beautiful. It's written in a very straightforward manner; its rather simple and in most places lacks any type of real depth. However, the story that those words are telling is one that I will never forget.

The story is set in Sierra Leone in the early 1990's. The author, Ishmael, is just a young boy of twelve when his village is attacked by rebel troops. Ishmael finds himself orphaned and on the run in a war torn country. It seems there are no real safe places to hide. By the age of thirteen Ishmael is picked up by the government army. Once a gentle young man, Beah finds himself becoming a killer. Hopped up on marijuana, speed and a local mixture of cocaine and gunpowder, he carries his AK-47 with pride and becomes one of the deadly killers he has spent the past year running from.

This book encompasses it all. When we meet Ishmael he is living a normal childhood; fighting with his dad, hanging out with his friends. We follow him through the jungles as he flees from town to town. We're with him when he kills for the first time, when he tries drugs, when he slowly begins to lose his humanity and become a killing machine.

Eventually Ishmael is removed from the war by UNICEF. He is placed in a rehabilitation home with other young boy soldiers like himself. We're with him as he experiences withdrawalls from the drugs, as he faces the things he has done, as he comes to terms with his guilt and sorrow, and as he finds himself on the run...yet again.

It's a brutally honest and raw story. In the more than fifty violent conflicts worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. These children are traumatized, addicted to drugs and turned into killers. In today's world, children have become the soldiers of choice. It's a sad truth, and its something that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should. This book, is a first hand account, told by a former child soldier, and should be a mandatory read for everyone.

Ishmael Beah is now 27 years old and resides in New York City. His book is a huge contribution to the literary world. Everyone needs to read it. Be prepared to be horrified though, its not for the weak of heart.

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Aug 20, 2007 Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who wants to broaden their cultural horizons

Gut-wrenching and virtually unbelievable to a modern, Western-minded suburban sheltered life, this compelling first hand account of contemporary struggle and tragedy landed like a thud in my soul. I read the book in about three days, and unfortunately it tempered my view of the people around me, wondering what atrocities they were capable of committing, what sort of terror these faces or even my own hands could carry out under the right circumstances. In the end, though, it is a tale of individu...more

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Mar 01, 2008 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finally got around to reading the highly lauded A Long Way Gone.

“Africa breaks your heart.” That’s what David Denby of The New Yorker concluded at the very beginning of his review for “Blood Diamond,” drawing on the then recent releases of “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Constant Gardener,” “And The Last King of Scotland.”

I concur, having read Ishmael Beah’s memoir relatively close on the heels of Dave Eggers’ What is the What and Beasts of No Nation. I suppose I could complete the cycle with This Voice...more I finally got around to reading the highly lauded A Long Way Gone.

“Africa breaks your heart.” That’s what David Denby of The New Yorker concluded at the very beginning of his review for “Blood Diamond,” drawing on the then recent releases of “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Constant Gardener,” “And The Last King of Scotland.”

I concur, having read Ishmael Beah’s memoir relatively close on the heels of Dave Eggers’ What is the What and Beasts of No Nation. I suppose I could complete the cycle with This Voice in My Heart, and The Devil Came on Horseback, among others, but my heart is already fragile enough.

Beah’s book of tragic descent into war as a 12-year-old is striking for many reasons on several levels. It seems to be placed somewhere between Keroauc’s “On the Road” and McCarthy’s “The Road.” It illuminates an unsettling postmodern world highly influenced by drugs and western war movies. It is a road novel, but very much more about coming of age and a loss of innocence in a demented, perverse, unfortunate, shameful (I can’t stop!) modern world.

Reminiscent of the scene in Jarhead when the marines whoop and holler to Apocalypse Now, Beah relates that, “We watched movies at night. War movies, Rambo: First Blood, Rambo II, Comando, and so on, with the aid of a generator or sometimes a car battery. We all wanted to be like Rambo; we couldn’t wait to implement his techniques. When we ran out of food, drugs, ammunition, and gasoline to watch war films, we raided rebel camps, in towns, villages, and forests. We also attacked civilian villages to capture recruits and whatever else we could find.”

Beah’s prose is dominated by plain and simple descriptive language, a style that portrays one of the story’s more interesting elements: the amazing ability of people to quickly adapt. It is truly an admirable quality for a usually deficient species: “Oh. We’re being raided. Our way of life that we’ve known for years is over and our entire family is dead. We better move on.” Survival. It is captivating. Especially the way Beah shares it. He does so with simple eloquence and an appropriate and refreshing lack of sentimentality and drama that does not betray any severity and immediacy. Whereas Beasts of no Nation has a very stylized voice to accompany the similarly frenzied content, and What is the What takes a more straightforward collage-combining-Memphis Belle-esque everything goes into it approach, Long Way Gone has a very simple narrative voice and structure that realistically compliments the haunting, intense events portrayed. While this approach is abrupt, disjointed, and rough around the edges at times, it rings as absolutely authentic.

As in What is the What and Beasts of No Nation, Beah’s story is impressive in how it raises the stakes. Just when you, the reader, think things have gotten so bad that they couldn’t possibly get any worse, they do.

And it breaks your heart. All over again.(less)

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Jan 13, 2008 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, expanding-horizons, sierra-leone

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A powerful and ultimately very upsetting read, and a story that desperately needs to be told. A small part of me wants to believe that this can’t possibly be true; a much larger part of me knows that it is true, and is dreadfully afraid for the future of a human race that can produce men capable of such atrocities. Ishmael’s story begins in 1993 in Sierra Leone in the midst of civil and political chaos as a military coup, a deposed government, and a rebel force clash in efforts to gain control o...more A powerful and ultimately very upsetting read, and a story that desperately needs to be told. A small part of me wants to believe that this can’t possibly be true; a much larger part of me knows that it is true, and is dreadfully afraid for the future of a human race that can produce men capable of such atrocities. Ishmael’s story begins in 1993 in Sierra Leone in the midst of civil and political chaos as a military coup, a deposed government, and a rebel force clash in efforts to gain control of the country. Beah does an amazing job of helping us to understand exactly what it is like to live, as children, in the midst of a violent and inhuman civil war.

Beah is not a particularly polished writer, but he is definitely a gifted storyteller. I was reminded of the days I spent in Malawi in 1997. In my mind’s eye, I could easily picture the author seated at a waning campfire on a brightly lit night in the distant savannahs of Africa, telling his story to an assembled enrapt group of villagers:

“ ‘We must strive to be like the moon.’ An old man in Kabati repeated this sentence often to people who walked past his house on their way to the river to fetch water, to hunt, to tap palm wine; and to their farms. I remember asking my grandmother what the old man meant. She explained that the adage served to remind people to always be on their best behaviour and to be good to others. She said that people complain when there is too much sun and it gets unbearably hot, and also when it rains too much or when it is cold. But, she said, no one grumbles when the moon shines. Everyone becomes happy and appreciates the moon in their own special way. Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon.” [p. 16]

* * * * *

W A R N I N G - - - S P O I L E R S

Ishmael’s family is killed, and he finds himself living alone in the jungle, gathering what food he can, making do with what he can find. He is only 12 years old. But he is discovered by the rebel fighters, trained to fight, and brainwashed into a daily round of weapons, killing, mind-altering drugs, and continuous exposure to levels of violence that you and I cannot possibly imagine. In the process he begins a descent into madness that feels very much like the loss of anything resembling humanity, or indeed reality:

“I am pushing a rusty wheelbarrow in a town where the air smells of blood and burnt flesh. The breeze brings the faint cries of those whose last breaths are leaving their mangled bodies. I walk past them. Their arms and legs are missing; their intestines spill out through the bullet holes in their stomachs; brain matter comes out of their noses and ears. The flies are so excited and intoxicated that they fall on the pools of blood and die. The eyes of the nearly dead are redder than the blood that comes out of them, and it seems that their bones will tear through the skin of their taut faces at any minute….The wheelbarrow in front of me contains a dead body wrapped in white bedsheets. I do not know why I am taking this particular body to the cemetery.” [p. 18]

In a strangely twisted and disturbing way, the rebel force becomes his new family. He makes friends among the other boys, and is looked up to as a particularly fierce fighter. The commander calls him “The Snake” because he is small enough to hide in the shrubs and skilled enough to attack without warning and kill many without being discovered.

I fear for the future of postcolonial Africa, as rebel factions in so many countries continue to fight against democratic governments, and democratically elected governments continue to siphon off all of the wealth of their nations into offshore bank accounts while the people starve, suffer, and die.

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Feb 01, 2008 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's amazing that this young man is alive and able to write about his life in war torn Sierra Leone. Like any war zone, Sierra Leone is the embodiment of chaos. War makes makes living second to second a random equation. The main character sees men, women, and children die horrible deaths before he's even 14 years old-way more than any hardcore adult soldier. He paints a very clear picture of a country destabilizing and it's frightening.

A first part of the book is pretty much about he and his fri...more It's amazing that this young man is alive and able to write about his life in war torn Sierra Leone. Like any war zone, Sierra Leone is the embodiment of chaos. War makes makes living second to second a random equation. The main character sees men, women, and children die horrible deaths before he's even 14 years old-way more than any hardcore adult soldier. He paints a very clear picture of a country destabilizing and it's frightening.

A first part of the book is pretty much about he and his friends staying one step head of the war. They, like most kids in the region, are separated from their families. They have run-ins with violence but are able to side step it for the most part. They are constantly on the run from government troops and RUF soldiers at the same time.
Once entangled in the war they all end up on the government side of the war. They make the kids go on raids, and scouting missions high on "bang bang"; a mixture of coke and gun powder. Field leaders get them high, make them stay up all night and do three day recon missions with each soldier wracking up a body count of at least 10-15 RUF soldiers. They have no sense of time and as humanity leaves the killing becomes easier and the years go by- it's like a violent casino. I'm a big military book fan and the differences in these soldiers are apparent as they have no formal training, discipline and are drug addicts. Without discipline the soldier is an animal whose purpose is to kill. Can you imagine gangs of kids jacked up on coke on killing and torture sprees? It makes City of God look like Sesame Street. Thank god for UNISEF as they were responsible for him rehabed and getting him out of the country to speak about his experience.

I couldn't begin to describe this book enough as it's filled with so many random battles, chases and other near death experiences. Ismael Beah is very clear and straight forward with his experience but at the same time remorseful about his role in the conflict. It's evident that this experience will scar him but at the same time it's given him tools to love and trust again.
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Aug 18, 2007 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Good book- short, simple, he describes his experience as a child soldier. Pretty amazing, bc you figure not that many of those child soldiers have the opportunity or inkling to write about it. I do wish the book had a clearer timeline and sense of the history and politics surrounding his personal experience in the conflict, but hey- the guy is not a historian, so I am not gonna bitch about that.

The topic of the Sierra Leone conflict though is FASCINATING, not to mention disgusting when you see w...more Good book- short, simple, he describes his experience as a child soldier. Pretty amazing, bc you figure not that many of those child soldiers have the opportunity or inkling to write about it. I do wish the book had a clearer timeline and sense of the history and politics surrounding his personal experience in the conflict, but hey- the guy is not a historian, so I am not gonna bitch about that.

The topic of the Sierra Leone conflict though is FASCINATING, not to mention disgusting when you see what forces caused it, and I've been seeing the subject around a lot recently:
- the documentary "Refugee All-Stars" which I review below
-this book
-the movie Blood Diamond with Leo DeCaprio and (horrible) Jennifer Connelly, both of their weird accents totally annoying me
-the documentary "Diamond Road" on National Geographic, which was actually too sad and depressing for me to watch.

Unlike the concise yet powerful "Refugee All-Stars," the Diamond Road series was 3 parts, 2 hours each, covering the Diamond Industry from start to finish, the start being the diamond mines of Sierra Leone, and the end being the industry's attempts to make themselves not look like criminals who take diamonds out of a country whose citizens are among the poorest in the world.

Movie Review of "Refugee All Stars"

I wasn't excited "Long Way Gone" until I realized it was about the same country as this freakin AMAZING documentary I just saw on POV about refugees from Sierra Leone. It's called "Refugee All-Stars" and it's about 6 or 7 refugees from S.L. forming a band in the refugee camp in neighboring Guinea.

It's hard to capture what this documentary does in a mere three hours, hard to believe that I could feel so much for these people after such a short time. And, it's not one of those "bawl your eyes out I feel so sorry for these people things" where you leave just feeling BAD. Although I do feel bad, that's not what the story evokes- it evokes the power of the human spirit, the drive to make something positive out of a horrible situation and horrible memories, and the power of music.
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May 27, 2007 Chelsea Cripps rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was one of the more incredible books I've ever read. The book is the true story of the author's life in Sierra-Leone, and the story of many other children swept up in the war there. When the author is 12-years-old his village is destroyed and his family lost. He wanders for years, sometimes with groups of other boys, sometimes alone, trying to avoid the rebels and to find a safe place to exist. Eventually swept into the war, hopped up on drugs and handed guns, the boys find themselves soldier...more

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Nov 30, 2007 Lain rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As an over-privileged white American, it can be tough to even begin to fathom the struggles and atrocities that Africans face. When I started reading this book, I wondered if the stories Ishmael Beah would tell would be so horrific that I couldn't continue to read, much less comprehend, them.

However, Meah tells his tale with a blend of humor, distance, and insight that took me right to the edge. Any further, and I think I would have shut down. Any less far, and I believe I wouldn't have gotten...more

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Mar 03, 2008 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Heartbreaking. I can't believe people have life experiences like Ishmael Beah. Ishmael, a 27 year-old refugee from Sierra Leone now living in New York City, left his home with his brother and some friends to practice a new rap routine in a neighboring village. He was twelve years old. He never saw his home or his parents again. Rebel forces attacked his village, killing most, and causing the rest to flee.

Without a home to return to, he and his peers managed to spend several months wandering from...more Heartbreaking. I can't believe people have life experiences like Ishmael Beah. Ishmael, a 27 year-old refugee from Sierra Leone now living in New York City, left his home with his brother and some friends to practice a new rap routine in a neighboring village. He was twelve years old. He never saw his home or his parents again. Rebel forces attacked his village, killing most, and causing the rest to flee.

Without a home to return to, he and his peers managed to spend several months wandering from village to village but eventually, as they were old enough to be mistaken as soldiers themselves, they became objects of fear. Left starving and hiding in the forests, Ishmael and his group were eventually captured and forced to become soldiers.

A boy whose favorite thing was to perform rap songs for people was suddenly cutting throats and shooting anyone that moved. He became a drug addict, as higher ups encouraged the boys to swallow white capsules and sniff cocaine to "give them more energy".

Years later, he was fortunate to be chosen by his lieutenant and UNICEF workers and was enrolled in a rehabilitation unit. It took him eight months to fight the drugs out of his system and to turn into a child again. His agony and nightmares about what he had done are intense. He was only fifteen years old.

When the fighting moved from the villages into the city, Ishamel knew that he could not become a soldier again. Earlier in the year, after he had completed his rehabilitation, he traveled to New York to represent UNICEF and the youth in Sierre Leone at the UN. From this experience, he contacted one of the women he had met in New York to ask if she would be willing to allow him to stay with her if he could get out of his country. Amazingly, he managed, got to New York and has since graduated from the UN's International School and graduated from a university.

What amazes me when I read books like this, because I don't really enjoy them, is how deplorable certain areas of our world really are. We are often told of the blessings we enjoy from living where we live: freedom, prosperity, security. We worry about losing zero percent interest for credit cards and avoiding trans fat, while other people in the world literally watch their best friends get blown up. Certainly our problems and worries are real, but when put into perspective, they are molehills compared to mountains.

I'm grateful this boy got another chance. I'm horrified that most do not.(less)

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Apr 05, 2008 Amy (amyb2332) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2008

I have a hard time rating memoirs because I feel like I can't possible "love" something that is clearly such a painful experience from someone else's past. So me giving this three stars doesn't mean I didn't like it, I truly did. It is a shocking and sad story and I feel like I have learned a lot from reading it.

I would have liked to see a bit more explanation towards what the conflict in Sierra Leone was about. I also would have liked to more about the author's life after the war.

The whole book...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone interested in child soldering and civil war

It puts civil war into a concrete context. If you want to read behind the headlines...this story will give you an account that stays with you.

While this book tackles the heavy themes of child soldering, civil war and losing parents...it is told from a young adult's perspective looking back on his experiences. There is a directness and honesty in it that is simple. It is not preachy or overbearing. It is simply a boy's account of an extremely difficult and tumultuous period in his life. I would h...more

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Aug 13, 2007 Sarah Arlen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: favorites

This is one of those uber-rare books that everyone in the world should be required to read. If I can cry while reading it on a train full of strangers and feel lifted up at the end of its conclusion, than I think it's touching in all the best ways. It is one of the most sincere books I've ever read in my life and contains chronicling of a type of human experience that I've never seen and find too easy to ignore, that of the child in a war state on the front lines. For those of you who love stori...more

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Feb 19, 2008 Caddie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I cried for this boy throughout the book due to the gruesome nature of what he went through. It is a true story of a war I was unaware of during my life time. It opened my eyes to what is and has happened to young children around the world. I was horrified at the reality, but rejoiceful that one person could have so much courage to go through what seemed like never-ending trials. I left the book with my eyes and heart more opened. Whenever I hear of war, I'm sure I will related it to what went o...more

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Apr 01, 2009 Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: quarter-3

Ishmael Beah was a young boy living in the suburbs of Sierra Leon, a relatively small country in western africa where they are known for their diamonds. Ishmael Beah lived a somewhat normal life as a child. He had divorced parents and lived with his father and visited his mother on occasion. One day, he was going with his friends to listen to rap music in a nearby town. He was recruited by rebel soldiers at only the age of 13. This autobiography tells you about an important and modern issue in s...more

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Mar 25, 2013 إبراهيم عادل rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to إبراهيم by: Arwa

هذا الكتاب/المذكرات .. يستحيل في ظني ألا تتعاطف معه ..
هنا شهادة صادقة وموحية وأليمة لأحداثٍ عاشها كاتبها يومًا بيوم، واستطاع ببراعة فائقة أن يصفها ويعرضها بتفاصيلها القاسية المؤلمة، ويبدو لي أن الكاتب تمرَّن كثيرًا على الكتابة، أو هو ـ على الأقل ـ موهوبٌ بالفكرة، لأنه استطاع أن يعرض لحياته مع كل هذا الألم بهاذ التشويق، وعرض لحظات ومشاهد حيَّة كانت بالغة العذوبة والبساطة والتأثير معًا ..
كلًَّما قرأت فصلاً من الكتاب أو جزءًا منه كنت أعود إلى صورة الغلاف وأتخيَّل ذلك الطفل المسكين الذي قادته ظر...more هذا الكتاب/المذكرات .. يستحيل في ظني ألا تتعاطف معه ..
هنا شهادة صادقة وموحية وأليمة لأحداثٍ عاشها كاتبها يومًا بيوم، واستطاع ببراعة فائقة أن يصفها ويعرضها بتفاصيلها القاسية المؤلمة، ويبدو لي أن الكاتب تمرَّن كثيرًا على الكتابة، أو هو ـ على الأقل ـ موهوبٌ بالفكرة، لأنه استطاع أن يعرض لحياته مع كل هذا الألم بهاذ التشويق، وعرض لحظات ومشاهد حيَّة كانت بالغة العذوبة والبساطة والتأثير معًا ..
كلًَّما قرأت فصلاً من الكتاب أو جزءًا منه كنت أعود إلى صورة الغلاف وأتخيَّل ذلك الطفل المسكين الذي قادته ظروف حياته الصعبة لأن يكون مجندًا، ولأن يقتل المتمردون أول ما يقتلون فيه طفولته وبراءته، فيعيش حياته محاربًا مشردًا
تلك صفحة من تاريخ إفريقيا التي يبدو أننا نجهل عنها الكثير ـ شأن الكثير من دول وشعوب العالم ـ يوضحها إشمائيل ببراعة وبدقة، تجعلني كأنما أشاهد حياته فصلاً فصلاً ..
ذهبت إلى محرك البحث ـ أثناء قراءتي ـ لأطالع هذا الكاتب الآن بوجهه البشوش وابتسامته الرائقة، ياالله! لم تستطع كل هذه الحروب والمآسي أن تنال منه ، أو أن الحظ حالفه وكان الله معه، فشاء له حياة أخرى بعد كل ما قاساه من ويلات ودمار .
http://www.alongwaygone.com/ishmael_b...
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في ظني أن الذين قرؤوا هذا الكتاب نسوا تمامًا أنه مترجم .. من هنا أرى أن الشكر واجب للروائية والمترجمة المغمورة سحر توفيق :) على هذه الترجمة المتقنة والموفقة إلى درجة كبيرة ..
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أتذكر أيضًا أنه أثناء قراءتي كنت أستشعر تمامًا أني أشاهد فيلمًا أجنبيًا متقنًا، ولا أعلم لماذا لم يحوَّل هذا العمل إلى فيلم سينمائي حتى الآن، أعتقد أن "إشمائيل" قد كتب هنا مادة خام وافية لعدد من الأفلام الروائية الطويلة، بل وربما الروايات أيضًا ..
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هذا نص رغم كل سوداويته وسواده يمنح الأمل
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شكرًا أروى :) (less)

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Nov 27, 2010 Jennifer (aka EM) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cftc, heartbreak-boys

I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry for what I am about to do. It seems unbelievably curmudgeonly of me to judge this book harshly given its subject matter. But I can't let the deep empathy I feel for this former Sierra Leonean child soldier cloud my judgement of his memoir. I give him five stars - more! - for his courage, his honesty and the remarkable work he is doing to shed light on the life of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and elsewhere; to raise consciousness and motivate political action to put...more

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Jan 11, 2008 Osho rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, around-the-world

Sierra Leone.

A searing memoir by a Sierra Leonean boy soldier. He writes clearly and directly about his horrific experiences, often in simple yet beautiful passages. I've read a reasonable number of memoirs by child war victims, but few by young people who, like Beah, actively participated as combatants. I highly recommend this memoir; I will teach with it as soon as I have a chance.

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Mar 03, 2009 Jocelyn Lee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, the rating says it all. It was amazing. I sort of feel guilty for enjoying the book since it's a memoir and that means all that horrible stuff happened to that guy. Critics who dislike it or want to say 'you can't remember all that stuff' need to shut up. Not only do I -know- people who have photographic memory, he actually addresses the fact that he has a photographic memory.
Yeah, rant, but that book was just amazing. The pathways all connected together and everything made sense. It's pro...more

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Nov 29, 2008 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural, memoir

This is a powerfully written memoir of a boy who tried to avoid a war that wouldn't be ignored and his struggle to regain his childhood and stay rehabilitated. Although there are only a few brief pages describing the two years he was a boy soldier, there are quite a few details of the various attrocities committed by those who claimed to be fighting for freedom. It is obvious that the author could have listed many more details but includes just enough to help us understand the situation confront...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Vijai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My colleague happened to be cleaning his cupboard when he found this book he bought when traveling abroad to keep away boredom. Not an avid reader, he couldn't get through the first few pages and gave it to me, in the hope that I would try and make something off it.

I must admit, I was in an almost depressed mood for a day or two after finishing this book. That and made me count my blessings for sure.

My teenage years weren't particularly fun and I have left no stone unturned in an effort to bit...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Vishal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: must-read-at-least-once

Occasionally a book comes along that totally changes your world view and how you perceive things. 'A long way gone' is not the best written book. It would probably rank even less than average in writing style and linearity. Yet, I agree with the 'Washington Post' when they say 'Everyone in the world should read this book'. It makes up for all its lackings with tremendous heart and soul. It is the story of a child soldier in civil war torn Sierra Leone in his own words. He narrates his feelings,...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Glenn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved it. Very much a memoir in the true sense, it is by a young person who has written this book not because he is a writer, but because of the extraordinary nature of his experiences, but I find I find the the writing style engaging and the content riveting. Direct and real, the writer is mostly showing, and describing, without trying to convince, judge, generalize, or pitch an agenda. Self-aware but not self-conscious.
Kind of a more-modern, and less-literary, Painted Bird. This kid lived t...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Bettie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: afr-sierra-leone, autobiography-memoir, nonfiction, summer-2012, tbr-busting-2012, fraudio, war, african-continent, published-2007

Not knowing a thing about this country I went searching...

From wiki: In 1462, in what is now Sierra Leone was visited by the Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra, who named it Serra Leoa, meaning "Lioness Mountains". Sierra Leone later became an important centre of the transatlantic trade in slaves until 11 March 1792 when Freetown was founded by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for former enslaved from (or freed by) the British Empire. In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 18...more

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Oct 29, 2008 Ari S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Ari by: no-one

Ari Spiesberger
Ebarvia
World lit
290
A long way gone by Ishmael Beah is the story of a Sudanese boy soldier. The story, (A biography) shows the true nature of war, and how a boy survives it. Ishmael’s village is burned down and his family splits up, but he, his brother and a few friends remain together. Unfortunately they split up and Ishmael keeps moving from village to village away from the war until he ends up in a village controlled by the military. The military though forces him and all the...more Ari Spiesberger
Ebarvia
World lit
290
A long way gone by Ishmael Beah is the story of a Sudanese boy soldier. The story, (A biography) shows the true nature of war, and how a boy survives it. Ishmael’s village is burned down and his family splits up, but he, his brother and a few friends remain together. Unfortunately they split up and Ishmael keeps moving from village to village away from the war until he ends up in a village controlled by the military. The military though forces him and all the boys and young men to fight or they will be killed, so they do. Ishmael is then taken away to a rehab, and then for killing a boy another, where with the help of a nurse he gets better and becomes re-united with his uncle and moves to New York.
For me what made this story truly interesting was the reality of what was going on and in what detail certain moments were put in so I could imagine them. This story was so real that I understood the sheer terror and distress caused by war. I also learned a lot about what goes on there and what the culture is like and it is somewhat different from what I expected. I also did not understand the extent of the destruction that took place in this war and why it happened; now I do.
I honestly did not see many weaknesses in this novel, I liked it a lot. One of the things I would change though is the amount of repetition in the story. There were some boring parts that could have been left out like the conversations with the nurse. Another weakness was the fact that some things were not described enough. There were some emotions that Ishmael had that were not really interrelated well like when he realizes his family is gone. This should have come up much more then once.
Despite any weaknesses this novel has it is an incredible read for people who are old enough to understand some of the themes of this novel. Although interesting and educational this story is not for the young or light hearted, it is real. Anyone that could read this novel and understand it should. It is a story for everyone.
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Oct 27, 2008 Dede rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel A Long Way Gone, written by Ishmael Beah, is an autobiographical work describing the author’s experiences throughout the civil war that tore apart his native country of Sierra Leone in the 1990’s. Spanning the time from when Ishmael was 13 to when he was 16 years old, the war destroyed his world; he barely got out of it alive. He vividly describes his experiences from the time when the war was beginning, when he lost his family, to the time when he and his friends are forced to fight i...more The novel A Long Way Gone, written by Ishmael Beah, is an autobiographical work describing the author’s experiences throughout the civil war that tore apart his native country of Sierra Leone in the 1990’s. Spanning the time from when Ishmael was 13 to when he was 16 years old, the war destroyed his world; he barely got out of it alive. He vividly describes his experiences from the time when the war was beginning, when he lost his family, to the time when he and his friends are forced to fight in the army as child soldiers in order to survive. He goes on to tell about his rescue from the horrors of war and his rehabilitation as he finds himself torn apart by the things he did and experienced, and as he comes to the final realization that none of it was his fault. Beah tells a compelling story out of his own life about growing up in a war-torn country, and the lengths to which a human being is willing to go in order to survive. He now lives in New York City, having left Sierra Leone at the age of 18 to escape the land still wracked by rebellion and internal conflict, and is now 26 and works to help raise awareness for children forced into the same situation and he was.
A Long Way Gone is a disturbing, eye-opening, and heart-wrenching novel. It describes the horrors of war unflinchingly and in vivid detail, but ends with a message of hope and rehabilitation for those thought to be hopeless. The author clearly holds little or nothing back from his personal story, and the raw power and the pain held within his words keeps a reader hooked until the end. The characters are real, and easy to get attached to or grow to like, and it is an effortless transition from sympathizing with them to feeling their pain and hoping desperately for a happy outcome. As the story of Beah’s early years unfolds, a reader find him-or- herself reliving those times, the occasional good moment showing in glowing contrast to the darkness and hopelessness of the story overall. It’s impossible not to become angry or sad while reading A Long Way Gone; Beah is an expert at bringing a reader into his story and showing him or her the reality of life in a country at war.
There are bad parts of A Long Way Gone in addition to the good, however. The author often uses a style of writing that comes out choppy and hard to follow. There were also times when the book seems to simply skip a part or section, as though a piece has been taken out, even when it hasn’t. Also, there are certain details that are difficult to understand, and the book can be just a little bit patchy when it comes to the amount of detail included.
Despite the weaknesses of A Long Way Gone and its author, the book is a worthwhile read. Most people would enjoy this book; however, the ones who would get the most from it are those who are compassionate and empathetic, and who try their best to make a difference in the world. It is definitely not a book for squeamish readers, because some of the detail within it can be gruesome.
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Oct 27, 2008 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The autobiography A Long Way Gone , by Ishmael Beah, is an autobiography about Ishmael’s childhood, and the hardships he faced during Sierra Leone’s civil war. The book shows Ishmael’s determination to survive, both as a refugee and child soldier. Ishmael was fleeing after losing his family during an attack on his home village. He fled for months until he was captured and trained as a soldier by the anti-rebellionist troops. He was put into a United Nations rehab center until he found his uncle...more The autobiography A Long Way Gone , by Ishmael Beah, is an autobiography about Ishmael’s childhood, and the hardships he faced during Sierra Leone’s civil war. The book shows Ishmael’s determination to survive, both as a refugee and child soldier. Ishmael was fleeing after losing his family during an attack on his home village. He fled for months until he was captured and trained as a soldier by the anti-rebellionist troops. He was put into a United Nations rehab center until he found his uncle, and visited the United States for a conference in New York. When the war flared up again and his uncle died, he escaped the country and was adopted by the people he met in New York.
I enjoyed the insight into another culture that the book provides. The book also made me passionate about the plight of child soldiers and how they lose any childhood they ever had. Despite the depressing issues, the book inspired me because Ishmael faced all his hardships with courage and determination and managed to survive and get a better life in the US. Since the book is an autobiography, the plot and characterization aren’t so much the author’s creation, but they still combine to create an engaging story.
There were few weaknesses in this book, but they were major. First, I felt the book ended at an awkward place in the narrative and should have had a more definite ending. The book ended as Ishmael made it to Guinea, but before he got to the US or found anyone to help him get there. The second issue I had was the book was the harsh wartime events and extreme violence. While I understand these things are real and thousands of people are experiencing them everyday, it still doesn’t make for a very entertaining or interesting read.
Overall, I think A Long Way Gone was worth reading but not outstanding. It had its strong points and was very informative and inspiring, but I just didn’t really enjoy reading it. It’s a good reality check to realize what atrocities are happening in the world without our notice but I would prefer to hear more about the positive directions that his future or Sierra Leone’s future are moving in. This book is a good read for older readers who would like to learn more about other culture and countries, but it wouldn’t be good for the faint of heart or those who want a “happily ever after” ending.
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About Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980. He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in political science.

He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Cou...more

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Books by Ishmael Beah

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“In the sky there are always answers and explanations for everything: every pain, every suffering, joy and confusion.” — 55 people liked it

“Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them. ” — 31 people liked it

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