Brief Summary Of The Book 'A Long Way Gone'

Estefany Ibarra

Honors English 4

8 March 2024

Decisions May Cause Risk

Risky decisions are a fundamental part of an individual's journey throughout life. Our decisions challenge us in many ways, but often lead us to growth. A Long Way Gone is a narrative book about a boy who writes about his life while he was recruited to the armed forces in 1993. Ishmael Beah wrote about his experiences and the trauma he went through while fighting in the Civil War in Sierra Leone. Under the Same Moon is a sentimental story that defines the love between a mother and her son, who are divided by a border. In this film, you see nine-year-old Carlito’s struggles and the decisions that put him at risk. In times of crisis, decisions to resolve conflict may put

Throughout the book, Beah makes many decisions and takes risks while trying to stay alive as he goes through the traumatic war experience. In chapter one, as the rebels arrive at Mattru Jong, Beah's hometown, Talloi says to his friends, “’ We must go back and see if we can find our families before it is too late,’ Junior and [Beah] nodded in agreement” (Beah 10). Beah and his friends have decided to return to Mattru Jong without thinking it through. None of the boys hesitated in going to search for their families; the thought of their lives being at risk never crossed their minds; they just wanted to be united with their loved ones. They all made this perilous decision, considering they had no clue if the rebels would still be at the village. Time passed, and Beah continued to look for his family as he and his friends walked for days, going from village to village, hoping to get further from war. With the war going on, no one trusted each other; people were terrified of 12-year-old kids because they knew many of them worked with the rebels. Beah and his friends were approaching a village when they got jabbed and tied up by a village Fisherman. The day after, when the village chief agreed to let Beah and his friends go, none spoke about the situation because they

This film supports the theme that decisions to revolve around conflict may put an individual's safety at risk in times of crisis, especially when the greater good is the priority. Throughout the film, Carlitos makes risky decisions that will make it difficult for him to be reunited with his mother. After four years of Carlitos waiting for his mother's return, Carlitos starts a difficult and long journey crossing the border from Mexico to the United States to find his mother (Riggen). Carlos decided to leave to look for his mother after the death of his grandmother, who was his caregiver. It was a massive risk that Carlitos went through to cross the border; he got smuggled through the border by being put inside the seat of a car. Carlitos meets a stranger who agrees to buy him a ticket to Los Angeles, California, if he pays back the money. Unfortunately, Carlitos lost the ticket money, and the man needed that money to buy drugs. The man was highly desperate for drugs. He spoke to a human trafficker and agreed to exchange Carlitos for $100 (Riggen). Luckily, a woman from the neighborhood saw the exchange happen and saved Carlitos. Carlitos put himself at high risk due to his trying to find his mother, and he believed he could count on any adult to help him without knowing what someone might be capable of. Towards the film's middle, Carlitos starts working with other illegal