A Long Way Gone is an autobiography of an ex-child soldier in Sierra Leone called Ishmael Beah. Beah recounted how his life changed from a normal kid living a normal life, to running away from rebel soldiers that separated him from his family forever, to being caught and forced to become a child soldier, to his arduous rehabilitation to become normal again.
I’ve seen TV programs about child
soldiers before but never a personal account from a rehabilitated
survivor. It was hard for me to imagine how a child, some as young as
eight years old, forced to become a soldier, taking drugs and kill
other soldiers and even civilians like it was a normal thing to do
and to celebrate about. While many were rescued and put into
rehabilitation programs, some actually return to the front line
simply because their families don’t want them to be around,
obviously scared by memories and news about how dangerous a child
soldier can be.
I’ve seen on TV about Ishmael Beah
and his book, and I’m glad to have read it. I made me realize even
more how lucky we are.
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