“A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” is a moving war story about the author, Ishmael Beah, and his life growing up in the african country. Sierra Leone is the setting during the civil war which spanned from March of 1991 to January of 2002. Ishmael provides a stance against child soldiers, and has stuck with that view ever since he was rehabilitated. This book presents strong first hand encounters and vivid war stories. This helps prove the argument that child soldiering is a cruel act, and by using rehabilitation, victims would be able to return to regular life. Ishmael’s story starts with his love for rap music, which he discovered from his dad’s job. He left for a talent show with his brother Junior, and Talloi. Ishmael’s group arrived at Mattru Jong, and the day after, school was canceled because their hometown of Mogbwemo was attacked. They returned and left because there was no hope left. They stayed in Mattru Jong until the rebels attacked. After running for hours and only stopping to rest, They tried to go back and gather resources, but almost died because of it. Because of the lack of food, Ishmael’s group returned to Mattru Jong and were caught. They were about to be killed, but government troops drew rebels away, so Ishmael and the other kids lined up with him could escape. After a few days of hiding, he found Junior and Talloi, and they decided to go somewhere away from the rebels. Over time, the 3 of …show more content…
He wrote this book not only to spread awareness of child soldiering, but to show what the impact it has on kids at a young age. There are many highlights from the book which prove the impact of child soldiering. These highlights go hand in hand with side effects of child soldiering, which are the effect on mental health, disruption of communities, collapse of families, impact on the life of the individual, and the road to recovery after the