false 4 5 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 31 20:51:30 -0700 2007 Mon Sep 24 08:08:03 -0700 2007
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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