Entry Eight: Outside Reading II

Now that I have finished Speak, I have decided to start reading a memoir. The book is called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. Beah writes of the struggles he faced while living in Sierra Leone as a growing boy. "There were all kinds of stories about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land” (Page 5). Killings by the rebels were growing more and more and to most communities, it wasn’t real. There was a lack of communication, technology, and belief that mass killings were taking place. Outside countries were absolutely no help at all, which makes me wonder, were they unaware that these killings were happening or did they just not care to help? Beah is about 12 years old and lives in a town called Mogbwemo. His friends enjoy listening to “foreign” music aka rap and have created several dances to go along with them. Beah’s parents are divorced and his mother lives in a town about 20 miles away that he and his brother must walk to in order to visit. His father was at work, so he figured he’d just leave and come back later because his friends had planned a performance some miles away. While in the town of Mattru Jong, the boys get word that the rebels have attacked their home. It is their instinct to go back to find their family and friends, make sure they’re okay and not still looking for them. On their journey back, they encounter even more towns that have been destroyed and notice that the easy journey there, won’t be so easy coming back. This beautifully written story is captivating, eye-opening, and blunt. I can’t wait to find out how Ishmael Beah’s life unfolds in this compelling story. The even more enticing fact is, it all happened.