The book I just read

Title: A Long Way Gone

By Ishmael Beah

Published by Harper Perennial, 2008

Non-Fiction, No of pages: 229

Price RM36.90

A question is whether to be killed like many others, or become a soldier to kill those who killed his family. 

This is a story of a village boy grown up in typical modern religious setting. Not that very sophisticated life, but was decent enough compare with many of African villages. Rose up in disciplined family. As young boy who was taught to respect elders and understand the importance of family values. When all of a sudden the country collapsed became lawless; shooting, murdering, looting were the games of the day, all over the country. The worst affected people were the villagers.

The war was between Government soldiers versus the Rebel soldiers. In the fight to win the war, children as young as eleven were recruited from both sides and Beah was one of them.

From a decent peace loving kids turned beast because of the circumstance. Their transformation was something, which an ordinary people find it difficult to comprehend. That is the story.

Beah endured his journey of many thousands miles through the jungles and cities, months after months endless, until one day he and his friends stumbled and had no choice for survival but joined as country’s soldiers whose aims were to kill and to survive only.

Reading from this book, I can say Beah is an intelligent kid, who learnt to write and read English from young age at his village’s school, a village I considered by African standard wasn’t that bad. 

Beah has achieved his the target to capture the readers’ mind, very moving and heartening story. Neatly written.

I wish every young kid must read this book. So far, this is the best reading I have ever had for sometime.