A Long Way Gone: A Book Review

by Carlos Vasquez

A Long Way Gone is a book written by Ishael Beah. The book tells about his life in Sierra Leone, in Africa. I give this book 5 stars.

This book is about an ex-child soldier. A Long Way Gone first tells how civil war affected Ishmael's life when he was only 12 years old. His life was in peril because for five years he was in danger of dying from beheading or being shot in the head. The only family with him when war came to his town was his older brother. All his family was killed when the soldiers came; Ismael and his brother ran and hid from the soldiers. The other 12 year old boys were not trusted in the villages so Ismael and his brother and friends traveled through the country from dawn straight to dusk. They were under constant threat of being recruited into the army.

Later on, Ismael is recruited into the army. He still was only 12 years old. He doesn't feel remorse about killing other families. In the end, he has a total life-changing experience and learns to forgive himself for what he did.

I would highly recommend this book for eighth graders or higher. Ishmael Beah has a brilliant way of writing; he gives you the feeling of being there so you can experience what happened to him and his friends. I wouldn't recommend this for younger kids because it has violence and it is kind of disturbing.