Book Reviewer
What issues does the novel provoke you to think about? Why?
“A Long Way Gone” really makes the reader think about the issue of ignorance that the first world has in regards to the way life is in the third world. We all take our lives for granted and cannot even begin to understand what it means to truly suffer and be tortured, either physically, emotionally, or both. Before reading this book, the reader most likely only has a vague idea of what it means to be a child soldier. The descriptive nature of the memoir paints images into the readers mind and the fact that it is being told from the twelve-year-old boy’s perspective makes it all the more real. Matt: It makes you think about the struggle many third world countries face.
For what reasons would you recommend/not recommend this book to a friend?
I would recommend this book to anyone. It gives great insight into the lives of people in Africa and can open the eyes of anyone to the world around them. It teaches about what it means to truly have to fight for your life, and what kind of experiences people go through while doing so. It can make anyone less ignorant to the issues that our world faces today. If this book was read by everyone, more effort would be put into eradicating issues like child soldiers in our world. Alex: I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an eye-opening read. It is very easy to read and doesn’t get boring.
How would you classify this novel?
I think this novel should be classified as a serious “must read”. There is much to be gained from it for any person, and opens the eyes of the reader to the issues our world faces. The reader gets to really be taken in by the book and conceptualize how life must have been for Ishmael. It is necessary for people to read a story like this, told from a real child soldier’s point of view, in order to understand the kind of