A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Talk about a visceral reaction. This book was incredibly terrifying. But, I’m glad I read it because there is no cure for ignorance besides education. A Long Way Gone is an amazing example of a text that promotes social change in an extremely powerful way. There is no way that a documentary on child soldiers or a newspaper article could have the power this book has. Seeing war through the innocent eyes of a child is the most authentic, honest portrayal of war there is. The most powerful aspect of the text was the changes Ishmael experiences throughout the book. It is awful to watch him be stripped of his innocence one page at a time. At the beginning, we see him responding as a civilian: “I turned away, and my eyes caught the smashed head of another man…I felt nauseated. Everything began to spin around me. One of the soldiers was looking at me, chewing something and smiling. He took a drink…‘You will get used to it, everybody does eventually,’ he said” (100). At that point in the text, I too felt sick to my stomach and I remember thinking “there is no way he will get used to this.”

However, we see the power brainwashing and propaganda can have on someone who has lost all hope. During training, the soldiers are reminded of their loss and coerced into allegiance with the government: “Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened” (112). Their leaders tell them, “Our job is a serious one and we have the most capable soldiers, who will do anything to defend this country” (123).
It was absolutely horrifying watching Ishmael fall into these (what I thought to be obvious) traps. It makes sense that he had to distance himself from his actions and be almost empty, similar to an abuse victim: “I just sat with my head in my hands, thoughtless” (109).

For a good part of the book, I must admit I was angry with Ishmael. I did not understand how he could transform so quickly from an innocent child into a soulless killer. However, I pushed through and knew deep down that what I really felt was remorse and sadness for his loss of innocence. He was truly a victim. This is absolutely devastating. This particular passage sticks out in my head: “I didn’t feel a thing for him, didn’t think that much about what I was doing. I just waited for the corporal’s order. The prisoner was simply another rebel who was responsible for the death of my family, as I had come to truly believe” (124). In hindsight, Ishmael is realizing that he had created excuses for himself and pointed out his reasoning for completing such terrible acts. The fact that I know he was a victim of a horrible crime does not eliminate the goose bumps from the back of my neck as a re-read this passage.
Horrifying memories reenacted aside, this book was extremely powerful for me. Having little to no knowledge of the situation in Sierra Leone, this book gave me a very personal account of the horrors that occurred there during the civil war.

And last but not least, I was so incredibly grateful for Esther, Ishmael’s nurse. She showed an incredible amount of compassion for Ishmael and was willing to step completely outside of her comfort zone in order to help him. She helped him to begin his lengthy but crucial recovery in a very powerful way. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old, for it teaches an amazing lesson about the resilience of the human spirit. Happy reading!