A Long Way Gone

In the bestselling book, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah tells about being part of the bloody civil war in his home country of Sierra Leone. A the age of twelve he and several other boys were forced to run for their lives as rebels destroyed the nation. Eventually, he found himself in a village controlled by the national army where he was compelled to join their cause and for over two years he fought for this army, killing and torturing while in a drug-induced haze. It becomes almost too painful to read of whom he was becoming. Suddenly, he is delivered to UNICEF for rehabilitation in Freetown. and the slow journey to recovery begins. Though he was “a long way gone,” the slow journey to healthy self-understanding begins. Although we read some about this time and are in awe of those individuals who are key to his redemption, there remain a lot of elements untold. Beah is still a young man and I would suspect that recovery is an unending story for him. This insight into the lives of many young children caught in the crossfire of political agendas and forced to become soldiers is eye-opening and begs us to be peacemakers. I recommend adding it to your reading list.