The Lion Mountains

A Long Way Gone

by Ishmael Beah

"You mean you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?"

"Yes, all the time."

"Cool."

From the very first page A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah shocks its readers.  It is powerful, compelling, and eye-opening.  It is a statement.

In his book, Beah recalls his time in Sierra Leone, his home country, as a teenager during the civil war through stories both heart wrenching and, at times, jaw-dropping.  In spite of the atrocities he commits in the book, you never find yourself siding against Beah as the enemy.  Throughout his journey, you find yourself crossing your fingers that someday he finds peace and reconciliation with himself.

This book has quickly gone to the top of my list of favorites, as one of those stories that opens your eyes to something we Americans in our houses have no possible way of relating to.  Yes, we have been involved in a war for the last several years.  But when I open my door, that war isn't storming into my apartment and burning down my home.  Beah was both a victim and an aggressor in the war, and he illustrates both sides beautifully in his Memoir.

I don't want to give away the ending of the book, but Beah proved himself to be an excellent writer.  If you love fiction or nonfiction, you will find an appreciation for the way Beah spares no detail in his account.  Similar to the last book on my list, be prepared to go on a journey with this one.  If you have read it, please comment and tell me your thoughts!

I'm beginning to wonder if that's what I should expect from every book on this list....