A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

This is a beautifully written memoir about a very disturbing subject. Ishmael Beah was a child soldier in the civil conflict in Sierra Leone in the 90’s. He was orphaned at the age of 12 and then forced to be a soldier at the age of 13. He fought for 3 years before he was removed from the army by UNICEF and placed in a rehabilitation home. He eventually fled Sierra Leone and moved to New York City where he still lives today.

My new friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.
“Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”
“Because there is a war.”
“You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”
“Yes, all the time.”
“Cool.”I smile a little.
“You should tell us about it sometime.”
“Yes, sometime.”

My 16 year old DS read this book the week before I did and he really liked it. I feel that all teens would benefit from reading this book.

Although Ishmael's story was heartbreaking , it was a pleasure to have this book be one of my 2008 reads. (two down, ten to go)