A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael Beah

I can't believe this was happening to twelve-year-old boys during my lifetime. I was only a few years older than them while the civil war in Sierra Leone was raging-a sophomore in high school. My biggest concern was whether or not I'd be able to take driver's ed in the summer. I rode my bike across town to attend driver's ed that summer. However, unlike Ishmael, I did not have to worry about my "village" being attacked by rebels or losing my family to a tragic event. The realities of war, to me, belong in history books. They are the stories of old men long gone, not of people my own age. I know that this is naive and that war is the reality to children and young adults in many parts of the world.

Ishmael's story of being "recruited" to fight the rebels with boys even younger than him (at the age of 14/15), of his indoctrination into brutality, of his drug use and of his rehabilitation is remarkable. After moving in with his uncle's family in Freetown, the tragedy does not end. Rebels are still lurking and attacking. Even after speaking at a conference in New York City against using children in war, more heartbreak is to come. His uncle dies and Ishmael is forced to leave his country. Unlike many others he encountered, Ishmael's story continues. He survived the horror of war. Anytime war is discussed with students, we need to help them realize it is not all in the past. Many countries around the world are dealing with issues we assume are long gone.