A Long Way Gone
Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
📘 About This Book
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
📖 Résumé
Ishmael Beah provides a riveting and harrowing account of his personal experiences in his autobiography, A Long Way Gone. Published in 2007 across 244 pages, the book chronicles his life as a young boy in Sierra Leone whose world is completely upended by a brutal civil war. At the age of twelve, Beah is forced to flee from attacking rebels, wandering a landscape that has been rendered utterly unrecognizable by relentless violence. He faces constant terror, hunger, and isolation as he tries to survive the chaos enveloping his country. The narrative captures the devastating human cost of modern warfare, particularly how it affects the youngest members of society. As the war intensifies, thirteen-year-old Beah is eventually picked up and conscripted by the government army. Despite being a gentle boy at heart, he finds himself thrust into combat and capable of truly terrible acts, transformed by the brutal realities of armed conflict. Beah highlights a grim truth of contemporary warfare: t
🎯 Leçons clés
⚖️ Pour et contre
✅ Avantages
Provides a deeply personal and authentic first-person perspective on civil war.
Exposes the tragic reality of child soldiers in modern conflicts.
Written in a riveting and engaging narrative style.
Highlights the resilience of the human spirit amidst unimaginable hardship.
⚠️ Inconvénients
The graphic depictions of violence can be intensely difficult to read.
Offers a sobering look at human nature that may leave readers emotionally heavy.
✍️ About the Author
❓ Questions fréquentes
Who wrote A Long Way Gone? +
The book was written by Ishmael Beah, drawing from his own life experiences.
What is the primary genre of the book? +
It is a biography and autobiography detailing the author's early life.
How old was Ishmael Beah when the war forced him to flee? +
He was twelve years old when he fled the attacking rebels.
How did Beah become involved with the military? +
At the age of thirteen, he was picked up by the government army and subsequently trained as a soldier.
When was A Long Way Gone published and how long is it? +
The book was published in 2007 and spans 244 pages.
