In A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story in his own words: how, at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.
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."
This is how wars are fought now: by children, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them.
What is war like through the eyes of a child soldier? How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But until now, there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this hell and survived.
This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.
- Available now
- Sweeten Up Your Holidays!
- New eBook additions
- Graphic Novels, Manga, and Superheroes!
- New kids additions
- New teen additions
- Most popular
- Try something different
- Resources for Libraries
- New Russian Language Books
- New Spanish Language Books
- "Se me enchina la piel" - Libros espantosos para adultos
- See all
- New audiobook additions
- Full-cast audio
- Great Audiobook Narrators!
- New teen additions
- New kids additions
- Available now
- Most popular
- Try something different
- See all
- Diverse Families
- Family Road Trip
- Reese Witherspoon's Book Club Reads
- The 100 Best Teen Books of All Time!
- Spies, Lies & Political Intrigue
- Great Adult Books for Teens!
- Transgender/nonbinary reads
- What's Next? Getting to a New Normal
- Twisty Psychological Thrillers
- Need a Laugh?
- Learn English
- African-American Romance
- Burnout: Signs, Symptoms and Strategies
- See all