A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Top Quality

I listened to the audio version of the book and I think hearing the words spoken aloud made this book touch my core.

I see that there is some controversy surrounding the validity of this book - and a few harsh reviews questioning Ismael's experiences. From my point of view, when I read a book that has received this much publicity, I expect that there will be a certain degree of sensationalism. I expect, especially in the case of an adolescent, drugged and taked off to war, to report inaccuracies, to mix up dates, and to remember things somewhat differently from how they may have actually occurred. This is the basis of many theories of memory in psychology. In fact, if you do a few minutes of research, you will see (1) that 2 people can witness a car crash but recall significantly different stories; and (2) see that there have been cases of people wrongly being charged of sexual abuse due to false memories.

But I digress.

This book, fact or fiction, memories of one boy or the compilation of several (as the accusations go), is still astounding. The experiences of child soldiers is heartbreaking and terrifying. The images in my mind as I heard the recounts of the violent and horrific acts can not be erased. I was truly moved by the lost innocence of the young soldiers; horrified by the violence and the torture tactics and the many, many deaths; and deeply touched when Ismael meets his family, and by his experience in New York.

If you havent read this book, please dont tell the controversy scare you away. It is still a fascinating read about an experience that American children can not even imagine.Get more detail about A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.