A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a book written by Ishmael Beah in 2007 about his experiences as a boy soldier. The book starts in January 1993, Sierra Leone, when a twelve-year old Ishmael Beah, his older brother and some friends leave their native village of Mattru Jong in the Moyamba District to attend a talent show in a neighboring village a few days away. While there, however, the group learns that their home has been attacked by... more

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a book written by Ishmael Beah in 2007 about his experiences as a boy soldier. The book starts in January 1993, Sierra Leone, when a twelve-year old Ishmael Beah, his older brother and some friends leave their native village of Mattru Jong in the Moyamba District to attend a talent show in a neighboring village a few days away. While there, however, the group learns that their home has been attacked by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). It is from here that the young boys become entangled in a long process of fleeing war violence; being captured by rebel forces and wary villagers alike; as well as trying to find and be reunited with their families. Eventually, Beah becomes separated from the group during an RUF attack and he wanders by himself for a while, spending a few weeks hiding in a jungle before encountering another young group of boys whom he recognizes as being friends from Mogbwemo. He joins this group and they go about much as... less