What is war really like? Is it just like how the movies and tv shows portray it to be? A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, give us as the reader an in depth, real life experience into what being in the midst of a war is really like.This nonfiction novel tells the story of Ishmael Beah. Ishmael used to live a normal life in Sierra Leone, until one day while he is away a rebellion force attacks his home town. Ishmael 's life is completely turned upside down, He must survive on his own. Scavenging for food, fighting off nature and even proving his worthiness to other towns. Ishmael is forced to become a soldier at the age of 12. Ishmael has a new perspective on life and is turned into “killing machine” when forced onto drugs. Later being saved helps
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The first 100 pages were very slow. I felt like it was constantly repeating itself and nothing new or eventful started to occur until Ishmael joined the army. It can seem to take a while to get through the first part of the book, because one can only read about a young boy traveling from town to town doing the same thing, for so long. Having read the book, It is vital that a reader keep pushing forward because when the action picks up, the novel becomes one of the best. The constant violence, emotional roller coaster, and suspension makes it near impossible to place this novel down. The ending is viewed by some as the best part of the whole novel. It caps off the true meaning of never losing hope, and that good things happen to good people. Ishmael is taken in by the UNICEF and rehabilitated into civilization again. He is offered places to tell his story and even gets a foster mom. Ishmael ends up moving to the United States permanently and really does have a so called “happy ending.” Ultimately giving this uplifting novel, the ending it requires. In this novel there are many instances where the book tends to get a little to graphic. Knowing that this was a memoir of a boy soldier, I knew that it was going to have violence and blood in it, but certain parts seemed to be a little excessive. For example, when Ishmael throws a grenade into the orphanage could be seen as a little too much for some readers. These parts do add onto the reality of
The first 100 pages were very slow. I felt like it was constantly repeating itself and nothing new or eventful started to occur until Ishmael joined the army. It can seem to take a while to get through the first part of the book, because one can only read about a young boy traveling from town to town doing the same thing, for so long. Having read the book, It is vital that a reader keep pushing forward because when the action picks up, the novel becomes one of the best. The constant violence, emotional roller coaster, and suspension makes it near impossible to place this novel down. The ending is viewed by some as the best part of the whole novel. It caps off the true meaning of never losing hope, and that good things happen to good people. Ishmael is taken in by the UNICEF and rehabilitated into civilization again. He is offered places to tell his story and even gets a foster mom. Ishmael ends up moving to the United States permanently and really does have a so called “happy ending.” Ultimately giving this uplifting novel, the ending it requires. In this novel there are many instances where the book tends to get a little to graphic. Knowing that this was a memoir of a boy soldier, I knew that it was going to have violence and blood in it, but certain parts seemed to be a little excessive. For example, when Ishmael throws a grenade into the orphanage could be seen as a little too much for some readers. These parts do add onto the reality of