A Long Way Gone, By Ishmael Beah

Who is Ishmael Beah? Why is he important in Sierra Leone history? Well, Ishmael Beah is the author of A Long Way Gone, and, more importantly, former child soldier of Sierra Leone. A Long Way Gone is an autobiography of how Beah faced the violence of Sierra Leone. Today, he stands to help children avoid the vision of war; to protect children’s rights. Babes in Arms is a story written by Boyd that explains Beah’s life and horror. With all the violence Beah witnessed, the evidence in A Long Way Gone proves the war in Sierra Leone impacted Beah’s life in several ways. For starters, Beah was an orphan at twelve years old after he was separated from his family and never felt safe throughout this “journey”. It is stated that, “...in Beah’s case the arrival of the rebels in his small town meant sudden separation from his parents….”(Boyd 302) The rebels were obviously armed and dangerous, so Beah had to escape his town and leave his parents behind as a “sacrifice”. He had to live with other boys without the protection of his parents. This makes him wander off alone, trying to survive. He had to go through many problems without the aid and love of his parents.

Just like Beah, many boys around Beah’s age left their parents to survive. However, “These terrified youngsters wandered aimlessly along jungle tracks, starving and desperate, harassed and suspected as they scrounged for food….” (Boyd 302) As these horrified young boys wandered scared and helpless, they were hungry and often fought in order for food. Beah and a bunch of other boys were accused and harassed due to all the stress they were in. It was hard for him to cooperate when he was the subject of argument among the other