TITLE: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
AUTHOR NAME: Ishmael Beah
NAME: Leslie B
AGE: 12
GRADE: 7
TEACHER: Mrs. Wolf
WHY READ: This book is a startling and graphic memoir of a young boy from Sierra Leone, Africa, who survives having been a child soldier in a civil war. Caution! This book has vivid descriptions of war, killing, and torture!
SUMMARY: This a book which answers the questions: "What does war look like through the eyes of a child soldier?", "How does one become a killer?", and "How does one stop?" Using traditional story-telling techniques from his native culture, the author, Ishmael Beah, recounts his traumatic childhood, involving wielding an AK47 as he struggles to survive in the aftermath of his family's death in an ongoing Civil war.
WHY LIKE: I never knew anything about child soldiering before reading this book. I learned that over 300,000 child soldiers are currently being exploited in over 50 violent conflicts worldwide. I loved the story, but it was hard to get through.
CHARACTERS: Ishmeal, his soldier friends Alhaji, Mambu, and Mohamed; his rehabilitation nurse, Esther; his Uncle Tommy and his cousin Allie; his adopted mother, Laura Simms, who eventually helps him escape to the United States.
WHY GOOD: It makes the reader feel very lucky to be able to live in peace and security in our country.
RECOMMENDATION: Fantastic
GENRE: Biography
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