BDCHS Advanced Reading discussion

I read the book A long way gone (Memoirs of a boy soldier) by Ishmael Beah. The main character Ishmael Beah lives in the village Mogbwema located in Africa. Ishmael, his brother Junior and a couple friends: Talloi, Kaloko, Gibrilla, and Khalilou head to preform a dance in town since they rap and have a group. A group of men called the rebels attack Ishmael's home town and towns around it, burning houses and shooting everyone in the way. He and his friends look for their families in this chaos, but are forced to stay in Mattru Jong because there's no other place to stay. When the rebels invade Mattru Jong, Ishmael and his brother flee and pass through many villages in search of safety. Ishmale and his friends come upon a village called Kamator where they are attacked and he separates from his brother and friends. He never see's them or his family again after the attack.

Ishmael travels alone and meets a group of 6 boys named Alhaji, Saidu, Kenei, Jumah, Musa, and moriba. They try to make it to Yele, where it is armed by the Seirra Leone armed forces. Once they get their Ishmael becomes a boy soldier at the age of 13 and continues for another 2 years before he is taken by the UNICEF to a rehabilitation center.

In the center Ishmael becomes friends with the nurse Esther. She helps him a lot in the rehabilitation process. She takes him and his friend out to the city and buys him mixed tapes. He and Esther become good friends. Once Ishmael is rehabilitated he moves in with his uncle and his family. Ishmael interviews to go to a meeting in New York and talk about his experience with the war. When he gets to New York he meets a lady named Laura Simins who ends up being his foster mother.

When Ishmael returns from New York his new home the Sierra Leone capital gets taken over by the rebels. He escapes and goes to New York to live with Laura when he realizes the risk that he might be a soldier again.

I really enjoyed this book and I could somewhat relate to Ishmael because of the conflict going on in Palestine. I love the way Ishmael never gave up hope and always faced his problems instead of running away from them. I learned that we should value what we have and enjoy all the little things because what we take for granted is another persons fantasy.
My overall comment about thus book is that i would recommend it to anyone looking to read a non-fiction war story book.
I rate this book 4/5 stars (Only because he described in detail of the violence)

Post by Arieon Mills

The book " A Long Way Gone " is about a boy named Ishmael Beah who endures the hardships of war. He travels with his brothers and friends, but they are soon separated by the attack of rebels. The boys went from to village searching for refugee according to the text " We had no idea where we could go or even how to get to a safe place, but we were determined to find one."(36)Ishmael was then left on his own, walking the sea shore in hopes of finding a village that hadn't been attacked. He later comes across a group of boys who he continues his search with but, soon they were captured by the chief of rebels. After capturing and realizing that the boys were only children, he let them live peacefully. The boys continued on and were determined to find their families no matter what. "A Long Way Gone" is a very inspiring story that shows you how to stay strong through hard times.

This book has so many great qualities about it. I liked how the location, culture, and time made the story unique. For example, even though the story took place in parts of Africa in 1993, they were still introduced to American culture like hip-hop music. When you read this story, your imagination goes wild. For instance, when the village is described it seems so pleasant, clean, nice, and healthy before the attacks. To conclude, this story is just amazing and it truly changes your perspective of how life is viewed when your going through troubled times.

In this book "A Long Way Gone" a boy soldier by the name of Ishmael Beah begins with a wonderful life in a village with family, friends, and hip-hop. He wished to pursue his dreams of becoming a rapper but, soon they were cut short because of the raid of the rebels. Ishmael was innocent and normal with no intention of harming another human being. In the quote "Whenever I get a chance to observe the moon now, I still see those same images I saw when I was six, and it pleases me to know that that part of my childhood is still embedded in me," reveals that he recognizes that he still has a piece of his childhood still attached to his heart. Soon after the attacks, he witnesses many horrific sights such as lost, lonely children or dead, injured people.

The Sierra Leonean Government caught him when he was 13 years old and was forced to fight. This young boy transforms into a killer. He spends many sleepless nights worrying about his death. Ishmael was forced to smoke marijuana and another substance mixed with gunpowder and cocaine. Eventually this behavior became natural to him and didn't mind it at all. Thankfully UNICEF rescues him and takes him to a rehabilitation center in Freetown. He slowly makes progress and rejoins society. With nothing left in Sierra Leone, he moves to New York.

This is an amazing book that is definitely recommended to everyone. The descriptive text aids your vision of the setting and assists you with the mood of that moment. You will be entranced while reading this book and will not be able to put it down. I like that the book always has an interesting scene arriving so it keeps you at the edge of your seat with suspense guessing what is going to happen next. If you are looking for a book that will keep you hypnotized with entertainment, then this book is for you.