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McKenna Maybee

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Then You Were Gone

by Lauren Strasnick (Goodreads Author)

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(page 117 of 224)
— Mar 07, 2024 09:28AM

Feb 16, 2024 09:19AM

McKenna Maybee is currently reading

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah

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McKenna Maybee said:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

" “a long way gone”
Ishmael Bean
“a long way gone” by Ishmael Bean is a non-fiction book set in 1993-1997, about a ten year old boy named Ishmael. He lives in Mogbwemo with his older brother, Junior, and his Father along with multiple stepmothers. His “a long way gone”
Ishmael Bean
“a long way gone” by Ishmael Bean is a non-fiction book set in 1993-1997, about a ten year old boy named Ishmael. He lives in Mogbwemo with his older brother, Junior, and his Father along with multiple stepmothers. His biological Mom lives in a nearby town with his other brother, Ibrahim. Ishmael gets separated from his family and friends. He lost them while he was running from the Rebels who were raiding Ishmael’s hometown, Mattru Jong. As he ran from the Rebels, he found himself lost in the jungle. Ishmael’s goal was to reunite with his family. I found this book in my high school library. This book spoke to me because on the cover is a boy with broken flip flops, he is carrying a weapon on his shoulder and another strapped around his body. I thought that this would be an interesting book to read.
“a long way gone” started off with Ishmael and some of his friends walking miles to their local village, Mattru Jong, to participate in a talent show. Ishmael and his friends stayed there for a few days and on their way back home the Rebels began their raid of Mattru Jong. All of the boys got split up in the woods. The forest became Ishmael’s new home. He tried to find a way out of the woods but he ends up getting deeper into the woods. He ran into multiple different armies and he had to run from many of them. Ishmael met six other boys who he thought looked familiar. The boys and Ishmael went to the same school in Mattru Jong. All seven of them adventured through the forest, looking for any clue of other humans. They came across a hut where a strange man took care of them. The man never had a name but he told the boys that they couldn’t live there for much longer or they would have to join the armed forces. Ishmael joined the army, he was enlisted for two years. After his time was up he left the army with the help of UNICEF and was placed in a rehabilitation home in Freetown. His nurse at the rehabilitation center was Esther. She cured the bullet wounds on his body from going into war and she gave him somebody to talk to about his mental problems. Ishmael suffered from severe anxiety and had current flashbacks and nightmares about the war and his family who were killed by the Rebels. Ishmael spent eight months in the UNICEF home until they put him into the foster care system. He told Esther about his Uncle who lived in Freetown and he went and lived with him and his family. Not too long after Ishmael goes to high school but all the school kids find out Ishmael was in the army and they all fear him. He was invited by UNICEF to give a speech in New York. His speech was about his experiences with the United Nations and to educate people about child conscript. Shortly after Ishmael gets home from New York, a war breaks out in Freetown and Ishmale’s uncle falls sick and dies. Ishmael decided he had enough of Africa and he decided he wanted to move to America. “ a long way gone “ ends with Ishmael on a bus illegally immigrating into the United States.
This book shows me about all of the problems in Africa around 1996. My favorite quote for “a long way gone” is something Ishmael’s father always told Ishmael while he was growing up. “If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person he or she will die” (Beah54). This quote is basically saying that everyone is here with a purpose. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have a purpose you wouldn’t be alive. Ishmael holds on to his father`s words as they comfort him and draw his attention away from the war going on around him. He could've given up many times during the journey, but he didn’t because he knew he had a purpose.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I think that everyone should read it. It educated us about the history of Africa and the struggles that they faced. “ a long way gone “ tells us about the lives of thousands of people, especially children, who were affected or even ended by the war. These people and children were innocent and had their whole lives to live. Their lives quickly changed when the wars began in 1993-1997. ...more "

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(page 229 of 229)
— Mar 07, 2024 09:28AM

Nov 08, 2023 07:24PM · see review