Summary/recommendation of "a long way gone memoirs of a boy soldier" - Book Report/Review Example

15 April Summary/Recommendation: “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier” ed by Ishmael Beah is not just a book which a reader casually goes through page by page and then forgets after putting it somewhere on the book shelf. Rather, this book is characterized by its influential nature. It has amassed critical acclaim for telling story in such an enchanting manner which manages to keep readers on an edge. It is a gripping story about a boy who goes through ordeals in life and still manages to survive despite staggeringly disturbing nature of those ordeals.

The boy is none other than the author himself. The book is actually a memoir of Beah’s very emotional and intriguing life journey. Every account in the book is logical and evidence-based as it is narrated first-hand by Beah himself. Surrounded by catastrophic events and doomed future prospects, Beah witnessed everything since a very young age. He served as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War which means that the poor child never got to understand the real meaning of childhood.

Separated both from his family and the innocence of childhood, Beah had to take upon himself responsibilities of a fully mature adult. He was brainwashed into becoming a trained soldier by reckless people which was something that led him to witness pandemonium and atrocity of profound proportions. It was UNICEF that rescued him at the age of 16 from the clutches of a cruel army unit allowing him to live a civilian life. Beah’s story is one of motivation and relentless struggle which makes for a highly recommended read for everyone dealing with stress in life.