Book Review
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Jessica Jung
AP Human Geography
Mr. Reidy
August 17, 2016
War creates fight among humanity and can destroy the minds of adolescents. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a book written by Ishmael Beah based on his personal story of survival during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The book was published in 2007 by Sarah Crichton Books of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in New York. The memoir discusses the struggles of Sierra Leoneans during the times of their civil war from the 1980s to 1990s. Beah concentrates on how children were affected by the attacks of the Revolutionary United Front. Through his expressive words, he strongly discusses the repercussions of war on the
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The beginning theme of region is displayed by the multitude of different countries and villages Ishmael comes in contact with. In the chronology section of the book it states, “many tribes from other parts of Africa had migrated and settled in what came to be known as Sierra Leone”, proving how the historic country became to be considered a region (Beah 219). According to the article, a region is an area inhabited by a population based on common traits, such as language, religion, or a system of livelihood. Sierra Leone is both a formal and functional region due to its borders, along with the characteristics of its people. Beah mentions the struggles he experienced while crossing the border between Sierra Leone and Guinea. He states, “the border was crowded with soldiers who either didn’t speak english or pretended not to” (Beah 213). This statement shows the language barriers between countries, hence relating back to the common traits that can be found in a formal region when separating geographical locations. As a functional region, Sierra Leone’s node can be identified as the nation’s capital, Freetown. The book mentions the State house and the House of Parliament as well on page 202, which can further explain the center point of the independent state. Following region, the theme of mobility is shown when Ishmael “walked for …show more content…
I did very much enjoy the book due to its action packed and realistic stories of a child having to escape from danger. Beah was not afraid to expose the truth on the lives of the children in Sierra Leone. Further explanations and background information about the actual war would have made it more informative, but I do understand that the story is coming from a twelve year old boy who was probably experiencing confusion as well. I can connect with the book in several ways, starting with how I moved to the United States, just like Ishmael had, at the age of nine from South Korea. Adapting to a new place with different customs was extremely challenging for me, so I can imagine how much more difficult it must have been for him. Ishmael also experienced the misery of losing his loved ones. I can relate to this as I was heartbroken when my great grandmother passed away. Death of a loved one is an unfortunate thing for any child to have to experience. A clear world connection from the book relates to the current issues we have with the terrorist group, ISIS. As part of Iraq and Syria, they express their power through violence, much like the rebels had in the book. Growing up in a safe environment, I never realized how much of a devastating effect war actually had on people worldwide. Beah’s inspiring words helped me become more appreciative for the
“When I was seven I had an answer to this question that made sense to me….if I was the hunter, I would shoot the monkey so that it would no longer have the chance to put other hunters in the same predicament” (Beah 218). A Long Way Gone is a memoir of a child soldier who is the author himself Ishmael Beah. Beah around the ages of twelve to thirteen grew up in Sierra Leone during its civil war. During his story, Beah talks in a tone that is straight to the point, however many devices help the reader imagine his loss of innocence. Beah uses a series of flashbacks, symbols and motifs to illustrate his loss to his readers.
"We went from children who were afraid of gunshots to now children who were gunshots… Shooting became just like drinking a glass of water" (Barnett, 2012). Ishmael Beah, the main character and writer of the novel A Long Way Gone is a clear example of the loss of innocence that war causes. During the Sierra Leone’s civil war, Beah is recruited as a child soldier and eventually turned into a cold-blooded killer with no sign of naivety in his body. At a tender age, Beah is trained to kill, mutilate and terrify dozens of people, which causes him to be bared to a flood of disturbing scenes; transform into a murderer; loose all sense of emotion; and in time, lose his innocence. In the novel A Long Way Gone, the reader can view the multiple events
The author of A Long Way Gone argues against boy soldiers but also against the loss of
Bang! Bang! “At that instant several gunshots, which sounded like thunder striking the tin-roofed houses, took over town. The sound of guns was so terrifying it confused everyone” (Beah 23). In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys his amazing journey through war and hardship as a child soldier. Sierra Leone--a country on the western coast of Africa--was embroiled in a bloody civil war in the 1990’s. Battles multiplied as bloodshed abounded and as a child, Ishmael Beah was forced to survive, find food, and face unimaginable dangers. Running from the battle front was also a routine ordeal. At age 13 Beah was captured by the military and brainwashed into using guns and drugs. As a child soldier, he perpetrated and witnessed a great deal of violence. At 15 he was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center. With time and continual treatment, Beah was able to recover, to some extent, and reconnect with his Uncle Tommy, who adopted him. He was later chosen to speak to the United Nations in New York City about his experiences as a child soldier. When he returned to Sierra Leone, war broke out throughout the city where he lived, causing many deaths including his Uncle Tommy. Eventually Beah escaped Sierra Leone and managed to reach New York City, where he began a new life. Through the book A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys a central theme of having to survive, at a young age, through the hardships of war with the use of imagery.
What is it about a book that keeps one reading? One continues to read a book when it is interesting and if they can make a connection to it. But, what makes a book interesting? There are many ways authors attract their readers. Authors use different techniques like, circle chronological order style, evoking strong emotions, and creating complex characters to shock and lure their readers.
Ishmael Beah’s memoir, A long Way Gone, is very descriptive and has a very effective way of painting a picture in the reader’s mind of what he went through as a boy soldier. Throughout the memoir, Beah used quite a few statements that impacted me emotionally, on a personal level. His vivid detail, word choice and how personal, yet professional he kept his writing led me to understand how exactly the war affected him, and everyone else who lived, and lives, in Sierra Leone.
Ishmael Beah's memoir "a Long Way Gone" is a true story about his early life and his experience in the war in Sierra Leone as a child soldier. There are many symbols, figures of speech and images used in Beah's memoir. Interchangeably, there are relationships between all three of these terms in the book. In "a Long Way Gone" Symbolism, Images and figures of speech convey a very moody message to the reader, based upon what they are reading. These literary building blocks helped shape the memoir and keep the reader engaged throughout it.
Nowadays, cross-cultural communication is one of the keys to survive in this society. It plays an important role in our society. The book, A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier, describes several cross cultural issues. This book is based on the true story of Ishamel Beah, who was solder in Republic of Sierra Leone. During his life time, he face a number of cultural shocks and tried to adapt each situation. Through story of his life, we can recognize some cultural differences and similarities between his central culture, Sierra Leon, and other individuals/groups. Thus, in this essay, I would like to discuss how are cultural differences and similarities between Ishamel’s culture and other cultures revealed. There are three main points; cultural differences shows cultural conflict and cultural integration, and cultural similarities reflects the Americanization.
A prominent theme in A Long Way Gone is about the loss of innocence from the involvement in the war. A Long Way Gone is the memoir of a young boy, Ishmael Beah, wanders in Sierra Leone who struggles for survival. Hoping to survive, he ended up raiding villages from the rebels and killing everyone. One theme in A long Way Gone is that war give innocent people the lust for revenge, destroys childhood and war became part of their daily life.
In the introduction of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, he writes, “There were all kinds of stories told about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land. It wasn’t until refugees started passing through our town that we began to see that it was actually taking place in our country” (Beah 1). During this statement Beah says that he is completely oblivious to the war around him. These people living in Sierra Leone had adapted to the war to the point where their perception had been altered. With this memoir he shares his experiences and obstacles he faces throughout the war to become a beckon of hope in this despairing country. Ishmael uses his social skills, timely luck, and emotional strength, to find the courage to overcome these adversities and survive in and out of the war.
Children exposed to violence within their communities are left with emotions of hopelessness, insecurity, and doubt. Historical events such as the war on terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tragic events of September 11th have had a detrimental effect on the entire nation, including the children. Although every child is not directly affected by the aspects of war, it somehow has an emotional effect on all. The involvement of a nation with war affects every individual differently, whether it is out of fear, anger, doubt, hope, or love. In the short novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, he narrates the story by telling his own involvement in the Civil War in Sierra Leone as young boy and the many issues he faces while living in
War is and can be defined as both a state of emergency and the liberator to a world so corrupt and unjust. The war in Sierra Leone separated families and ruined lives. How can a fight for a cause so right be so wrong. The Books “The Bite of the Mango” and “A Long Way Gone” compare and contrast Ishmael Beah’s experience to Mariatu Kamaras’. Both books are very different yet very similar. In The Bite of the Mango and A Long Way Gone both characters lose their childhood because of the war, but go through different journeys based solely on their gender.
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, published by Sarah Crichton Books in New York in 2007, tells the haunting story of Ishmael Beah, a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The book begins in January of 1993 in Ishmael’s small village called Mogbwemo, located near Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone. A Long Way Gone addresses a plethora of geographical issues such as refugees and population movements, child exploitation, and most of all: war. Each of these issues directly affects Ishmael, the autobiographer. In his book of memoirs, A Long Way Gone, Beah uses his horrendous experiences as a young teenager thrown into the dead heat of civil war to effectively argue that children have a right to their own childhoods, and that children deserve to have their innocence remain in place until they are older, not have it be stolen by the terror of war. His potent encounters and experiences also highlight successfully the undeniable effects that geographical problems are causing not just in Sierra Leone, but across the entire African continent.
In the book A Long Way Gone written by Ishmael Beah, an experienced soldier was writing about his memories of the war. Ishmael was born in Sierra Leone with his family, but one day it all changed. At the age of 12, Beah was taken by the Rebels to kill. His whole mindset changed during the war. However, when the war ended child soldiers were taken to a rehabilitation group, and it did help Ishmael go back the way he used to be before the war.
The ground is hot and damp. Humidity hangs in the air. Blood runs through the rivers, and bullet casings line the ground like stones on a path. Bodies pile up faster than the plants can decompose them. Sierra Leone’s war-torn country has seen a lot since its independence in 1961, including an end to democracy, three military coups, a one-party state, and a civil war. The civil war affected many families, like Ishmael Beah’s. Beah is the author of A Long Way Gone, a book about a boy soldier who is saved from the horrors of the civil war in Sierra Leone. The war (and other factors) affected Beah’s personality throughout the story, and the way his life would change. Once he becomes a soldier, his personality changes very much. Also, when Beah