A Long Way Gone pgs. 1 - 57

A Long Way Gone is a true story about a boy soldier in Africa. He begins in 1993 talking about how the war had hit the continent but hadn't reached his village. Although, it did quickly. He, his brother, and his friend go to a talent show outside the village. Someone brings news that an army has attacked their home village. The boys flee into the forest. Ishmael is twelve at this time. They reach a road that is covered in dead and dying people. It's a brutal scene that shows how merciless the army is. They keep moving.

For a long time, the boys are on the move on the verge of starvation and exhaustion. If any villages take them in, the war soon finds them and they have to leave. One of these times, Ishmael runs into a bush without looking back. He doesn't find his brother or friend afterwards and never sees them again.

Ishmael roams forests until he finally comes across some boys he recognizes from school. They're heading towards a village called Yele. He goes with them. One night, a trio of soldiers comes across the boys, and they hide. Saidu passes out and they carry him to the nearest village. At the village, Ishmael learns his family is safe in another village. However, while they are there, Saidu dies out of no where. The boys bury their friend.

I like this book so far. The gory parts are very detailed. What makes it even more frightening is that it's a true story being told in first person. It's hard to imagine this kind of inhumanity happened just a few years ago and most likely still does today.