A Long Way Gone

It was really hard for me to read about child soldiers because as an advocate for children, I never like to read about children struggling or losing their innocence, which I have done this entire quarter. I could never imagine risking it all for the thought of a corrupted government, and seeing as a child was put out there to do just that is mind blowing.  A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah was an extremely graphic and depressing story of children put into the Sierra Leone Civil War. Before researching this story, I didn’t have any background of how being a child soldier was like, let alone the dangerous country this story took place in. One of the many issues I had with this story was how the soldiers became so dependent and addicted to marijuana, cocaine or any other forms of drugs. Ishmael is only twelve years old! Yet he has a dependency issue of a middle aged man. To see a child struggling with an addiction was really hard for me, seeing as I have never seen a young child participate in such risk taking behaviors. He was becoming just another dangerous killer in the war. The way he thought the war and all the horrifying things that come with it is simply the way of life was heart breaking.  The brainwashing that went on throughout this story was upsetting. I also was really upset that he had no recollection if his family was alive or dead after the RUF destroyed his village. I may have my difficulties with my family, just as anyone would, but to never know if they were alive or dead after something like that happens would be the end of my world.

I was really excited once the story took a turn for the better, as UNICEF rescued the boys and placed them in rehabilitation centers. I feel as if this wasn’t available for the boys, there would have been no way of changing their ways of thinking about themselves or the war. Ishmael was able to realize that the war wasn’t his fault, and was trapped in a position of tragedy. He is now able to contact and spread the word to others and educate on the war plus the effects it played upon him growing up.  

My ending thought is the fact that these things all went on, and when I grew up, I had a very easy life in comparison, though I would always complain that my life was difficult. I could never imagine being put in any of the shoes we’ve read about this past quarter, and knowing that these things are going on today make my stomach ache. I have a lot to think about before our final project, and I hope to be able to wrap my head around all the stories we’ve read to make an honest decision on how I would like to live the rest of my life.