book review

A Long Way Gone – Book Review

 

A Long Way Gone is a nonfiction novel about a boy growing up as a soldier in Sierra Leone, Africa. Written by Ishmael Beah, it recounts his experience as a child soldier from the young age of just 12 years old. This compelling story is an example of why peace in the world is so important, and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the true horrors of being a child soldier. This novel has a gripping plot, emotional characters, and a vivid writing style that leaves nothing to the imagination.

The plot of the story is a tragic, depressing tale of a boy whose parents were killed while he was still young by rebel fighters trying to take control of his home country, Sierra Leone. The story begins as Ishmael flees the heartland of his country, making his way towards the capital, Freetown. Along the way, Ishmael and his companions face many hardships, are ambushed by rebel troops, and join the Sierra Leonean Army. The boys become addicted to drugs, and eventually turn into mindless killing machines, the very things they were running from in the first place. However dismal Ishmael’s situation seems, things take a turn for the better when at age 16, UNICEF comes to the child soldier’s aid. The plot of this story is not for the faint of heart. The author describes in vivid detail some of the atrocities committed not only by the rebel army, but also by Ishmael himself. I would recommend this book to those in 8^th grade or above, but no lower, because the description of Ishmael’s experience can sometimes be disturbing.

The writing style of the story leaves nothing to the imagination. Ishmael describes the very look in a person’s eyes as they stare death in the face. Ishmael recounts his killing raids for drugs and supplies, making you feel as if you were a witness to these horrible things. The author describes conversations he had with other squad mates and friends, as well as thoughts towards his actions in the war. He talks about his feelings, about how he had become brainwashed by drugs and violence, and his long road to recovery. As I said before, those who are not fully prepared to read a book that can sometimes make you feel sick should not pick up this book. Those mature enough to understand the experience the author had may enjoy this book. However, others will not.  

The characters in the story are all factual, so the emotions displayed by the loss of these friends can be very saddening. Ishmael’s discussions with these friends can sometimes be shocking, things that they discuss can sometimes be strange to hear coming out of such young children’s mouths. Ishmael discusses watching American war movies with his friends during one part of the book. The movie is teaching these once innocent boys to use violent tactics to kill others, and because Ishmael and his friends do not know any better than to not kill, they implement what they have seen in these movies.  Reading about the actions performed by the child soldiers in the book can be disturbing. The child soldiers commit many murders and sometimes even burn entire villages to the ground. Again, anyone who is not prepared to read about death should not read this book.

Overall, A Long Way Gone was an eye opening read. The autobiographical story of a child soldier in Africa was very revealing of the way life is in some parts of the world, and will make you feel very lucky to live in America. If you enjoy autobiographies that tell the story of life in a war torn country, and want to become more aware of global events, then A Long Way Gone is an excellent read. It is, however, quite graphic at times, so you discretion when reading it to a less mature audience.