A Long Way Gone

            A Long Way Gone was a really hard read due to the subject matter. It is hard to imagine that children, or any human of any age, can go through such horrors in their life. What started out as a group of boys going to dance and play music turns into a whole different life for them. To see him write of that moment, now fully aware of how it turns out and that it was the last time he would see his family, is beyond heartbreaking. It is amazing that they survived as long as they did on their own, going from village to village. As I read the story, I had to keep stopping and reminding myself and wrapping my mind around the fact that these were 13 year old boys. Then came the moment when they were recruited into the army. Before getting into this story, you sometimes look at wars and think of good guys vs. bad guys, and I think I was thinking of the rebels as inhumane, violent, killing machines, but the army seemed to have its moments of severe brutality and violence as well. I am sure that both sides thought it was justified in regards to what they believed they were fighting for. You see this is the case for Ishmael as he gets through it with thoughts of revenge for the death of his family. Which brings me to that point in the story where he is so close to reuniting with his family and he is robbed of that moment in within minutes of that reunion. I cannot even fathom how much anger and bitterness I would feel to have come so far and then be so close to have it ripped away from you. That was probably the hardest part of the story for me to read. I was even anxious for him when he heard news that they were in the village up ahead, I just wanted him to run as quickly as possible to get to them. It really is almost too horrific to comprehend.

            It was interesting to see how accustomed they became to being soldiers and how hard it was for them when they were taken away from that lifestyle. I guess in situations like that, you have to do what you can to get by and even in those situations you become attached to what your life is. It must be a survival mechanism to get by each day, well that and they were constantly drugged up. I guess that is the big thing I take away from this story; the amount of suffering and hard times a human can take and still be able to get through life. He had his uncle and family that helped him unlike some of his friends that ended up back in the war or being moved from foster to foster home. I imagine there must be a certain sadness that will always be with him, but it is hopeful to see that he is able to move forward in life and try to make good out of all the bad he has gone through.