alongwaygone

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

1. Purpose of the Book: - To educate the privileged (those who have not had to experience the pain of war) about how horrific war is - To explain why this particular war occurred - Through explanation, the author wants to warn/prevent future wars to happen

2. Author’s Background: - Native to Sierra Leone (during wartime) - Beah started off as an average teen; didn’t expect the violence that was to come, and so the brutality of the war completely caught him off guard - Had a keen interest towards American hip-hop/rap music (ex: pg 67, 68) - His love for hip-hop often got him out of trouble--> at one point, he and his friends are taken to a tribal chief who is suspicious of them (he thought that they might be rebels b/c they fit the description/the profile)--> when he’s questioning them, rap cassettes fall out of their pockets; the chief asked them what they were, and the boys ended up dancing for the chief, who then realized that they were just boys passing through (he let them go)

3. Notes/Additional Information: - Details about ongoings of war (pg 5) - Emphasizes the ignorance of many people regarding wars (ex: dialogue on pg 3; “..as if it was happening in a faraway and different land.” pg 5) - Emphasis on severity of war - Conditions/Effects of War - “That night we were so hungry that we stole people’s food while they slept. It was the only way to get through the night.” (29) - First paragraph of pg 30 - Lack of clothing -->“...I looked under my feet. Peeled flesh hung down and congealed blocks of blood and particles of sand clung to each hanging bit of skin. It looked as if someone had literally used a blade to cut the flesh under my feet from the heel to the toes.” (61) - He loses his whole family; eventually even becomes split apart from his older brother; reveals that he never was able to find him again - Food becomes even scarcer--> at one part in the become, he and his friends encounter a little boy eating two ears of corn by himself; they are so hungry that they follow him and steal the corn from him; later the boy’s mother brings them each an ear of corn - Food was also scarce b/c food vendors had stopped selling--> food had become extremely valuable in its scarcity; people were saving it up for themselves, could no longer give it out 3 -

4. Questions: - Why was there a war going on? - Who were the belligerents of the war? - What was the outcome of the war? - How did the author finally escape from the horrors occurring in Sierra Leone? - How was the author affected physically and emotionally by the horrors he faced in Africa? - How does he get to America? - He mentions that he doesn’t ever see his family again, but will he ever hear about them again/about their fates?