A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

This book is called A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This book is a non-fiction and an adventure book because it is about a story about a young boy who was named Ishmael Beah who lived in Sierra that experienced a horrible war at a young age that separated him from his family that led to struggling to survive and wandered in a land unrecognisable by violence. After a long time he was picked up by a government army. This book is about how children trying to survive day by day while rebels attack all the people who live in Sierra Leone. I will recommend this book to someone who likes history and adventure. (Kimmy, Grade 6)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 3/5

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is an excellent memoir and non-fiction book written by Ishmael Beah. This book details Ishmael's journey as a child and soldier throughout the Sierra-Leonian civil war and ensuing political turmoil in the 1990s. Several themes of isolation and even dystopia help us understand the events. This book was enjoyable to read as many unexpected events occurred and didn't follow the usual plot of a novel as it is a memoir. One interesting feature of this book is that some events are taken lightly. In the book, some devastating events occur such as the loss of a friend or even the destruction of a village, it is taken very lightly as if nothing important happened as opposed to other books where the death of an animal is enough to cause the characters extreme grief. Another thing I liked about this book was the description of events, Ishmael clearly described what was happening to the point where I could picture myself next to him in the Sierra-Leonian forest. However, there are some things I don't like about this book. For example, the progression of events was fast in some parts but slow in others. Often we would get a long description of the scenery, but sometimes we would get a skimming of some major events. I really like this book, however, it is not for everyone. This book is very violent, with descriptions of torture and mutilation, so it should stay out of the hands of a younger reader. The vocabulary isn't too hard, but some readers may not want to know anything about the history of Sierra Leone. I recommend this book to readers over 16 years old and readers interested in the recent history of Sierra Leone. (James E. Grade 8)

Rating: 5/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 3/5

Overall, "A Long Way Gone" is a powerful and thought-provoking book that offers a firsthand account of the devastating impact of war on children. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a call to action to work towards preventing the use of child soldiers in conflicts around the world. Beah's story is a poignant reminder of the importance of empathy and understanding, and the need to support those who have experienced trauma and violence. (Alex. Grade 8)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 2/5

A Long Way Gone is a memoir by Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone. The book tells the story of Beah's life as a young boy living in Sierra Leone when the civil war broke out in 1991. The boy's village was attacked and he was forced to flee. The book goes on to record his next several years wandering the countryside, struggling to survive and avoid capture by the various armed factions fighting in the war. The book is a powerful and moving account of the horrors of war and its impact on young children. I really enjoyed this book as the writer put it in a way where it felt I was right there with the boy as he struggles to safety. As he is constantly travelling the story is never static and constantly changing as he is travelling. Additionally, the author is great at creating mental images of what the boy is seeing with all descriptive words. I would recommend this book to everyone as it is very captivating and everyone can engage with the story is in all it is a very good read. (Oliver. Grade 8)

Rating: 4/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 1/5

The book [A Long Way Gone] written by Ishmael Beah is a book about a 12 year old boy who has experienced war at a very young age. This is a memoir written by Ishmael Beah, who was born in Sierra Leone which is the setting of the story. I personally like this book because this book shows the despair, violence, and sadness clearly. Thus, I will give 5 star for this book since it shows the despair, violence, and sadness clearly by using figurative language describing the war and people dying. (Siwoo. Grade 7)

Rating: 5/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 4/5

This nonfiction book called A Long Way Gone was written by Ishmael Beah. This book is about a 12 year old boy who went to his friends for a sleepover one night. Sadly that night was when the tragedy of war hit. He was separated from his family and ended up fighting for the army. This book is about the raw honesty of how horrible war is and how thousands lost their lives because of it. The book is very violent and sad but it is also a story about how they become themselves again after fighting in the war. I rate this book 2.5 - 3 since the book was very sad and violent. (Enya. Grade 6)

Rating: 2/5

Vocabulary Difficulty: 2/5