Coat of arms

For some reason I find their coat of arms somewhat ironic. How about you guys?

Crowded

A large group of Sierra Leonians gathering for the election of a new president.

two incredible people

Laura Simms and her adopted child, Ishmael Beah!

Review Response - José

I agree with the review written by William Boyd from the New York Times. Because I think everything the boy did it was not his fault. He became a “product” of the environment he was living. He had to do drugs and kill other persons without mercy otherwise he would be killed. It was a survival instinct, we cannot blame the boy.

After reading the review, my perception of the story remains the same. I keep feeling pity for the boy because of everything he lost: family, friends, village. I try to put myself in the boy’s shoes in order to understand all the sufferings he had been through. I don’t think I would be able to keep my hope and fight for my life as the boy did after everything he faced.

Another point I agree with William, is the cruelty Ishamael gives us with such richness of details. He tells us the way they used to kill prisoners and even detail the day he cut a man’s throat and the blood that squirted. We can figure the images on our minds. It must have been very hard for a young boy such as Ishmael to witness all those ongoings. I can’t even imagine the blame he might feels nowadays. Even though he was treated and passed with success through rehabilitation, he probably thinks sometimes about what he did. It must have left scars on him.

The summary in the review is very good. William highlighted the main events of the book and transmitted them wisely.

Review - Response

        I would definitely agree with this review. William Boyd definitely made some very agreeable points that made me more aware of the meaning of the book and it's purpose. He started off by giving a little summary and background of Sierra Leone and the civil war and saying that the conflict was not so much about the war but between Ishmael's struggles within himself and his journey. I had never thought about it that way. I often wondered as well, how many people Ishmael Beah killed when he was a soldier.

        Boyd was able to explain and make me come to realization of things that I did not now how to put in words. It was interesting to read a response and agree with everything. He was able to summarize the main factors and points in the novel that we had discussed in class as a group. I would imagine the average person who has read this book would feel the same emotions and have the same thoughts.

        When he said “ Who of us in our 20s could accurately summon up our day-by-day lives as preteens?”, he recognized Ishmael's remarkable memory which plays such a big role in the book yet it is not specifically mentioned that Ishmael could remember very precise details that the average person would not.
        Overall his review was to the point. I was able to relate with his statements and agree with him on almost everything especially since he had actually been close to experiencing something similar.

Questions - Theme - Mikayla

1. Aside from survival, what are the main themes? Explain.

Memory. Ishmael Beah is able to remember very important details from his life. It is important because without his memory from his childhood, he would have never been able to rehabilitate. For example; his music played a big role before he was a soldier so when nurse Esther gave him the Walkman and cassettes.

2.  Why does Ishmael recall a happier memory as things start to get depressing?

He would recall happier memories of when he was younger, to keep his hopes up and motivate him to get through his day.

3. How did Ishmael's personality change throughout the story?

At the beginning he was happy and fun. He enjoyed music, soccer and hanging out with his friends. When he became a soldier he completely changed in to a drug addict and murder who had no mercy. He went from being a harmless troublemaker to a killer. After rehabilitation he was happy again, but was never the same as before. That could also be because of maturity over time.

4.Why was it so important to talk about his life before became a soldier, during his rehabilitation process?

When he became a soldier, he changed for the worse and by recalling his childhood memories, Ishmael would be able to bring back his sanity and loving personality. Because of all the drugs, Ishmael lost control of his mind and his values.

5. When Ishmael stopped talking about his childhood when he becomes a soldier what does this signify?

Ishmael thought he would be a soldier for the rest of his life and it was his only purpose of life. He gave up and thought he would never get his childhood back.

6. How did nature life help Ishmael through his journey?

Nature life helped his journey because Ishmael appreciated and admired the beauty of nature. It made him seem innocent.

7. What impact did the wisdom of his family have on Beah?

His grandparents seemed very wise and spiritual. Ishmael mentioned many quotes he remembers from either his grandmother or grandfather and they seemed to lift his spirits and help him get through the terrors because he could related to the quotes.

8. Why is it important for Ishmael to share his story with the world?

It raises awareness to people are aren't affected by was. It allows us to see the reality of some countries less fortunate. For him, raising awareness to end child soldiers is very important for obvious personal reasons.

9. Why is Ishmael so successful today and play a big role in society?

Starting with representing child soldiers in the conference in New York, I think that really opened doors to being a spokesperson and making a difference in the world by working for the United Nations.

10. As Ishmael mentioned, he didn't understand why he was still alive of all his family members and friends, why him?

We would say it is mostly out of luck, because of certain series of events, he was able to escape. Needless to say, that would have never happened without his intelligence and will to survive.

Journal #4 - Jose

The last section of the book is the best one. Finally, good things started to happen with him. At first, he got a family. His new family is very nice and they treat him very well. Then, he got the chance to go to New York City on a UN conference about children facing war all over the world. He attended to the conference in New York and afterwards, he came back to Sierra Leone. I can’t understand why he didn’t stay there. If I was him, I would never go back to Sierra Leone.

He came back and started living a normal life. He was even attending school. His life seemed to be very happy. Suddenly, the rebels and the army got together to make a new government. Once again the boy would have to face the war and run for his life. I would be very scared and disappointed if I was him. After all he had been through, the war reached him again. At this point of the book, it was like watching a flash-back of the previous chapters. The soldiers and rebels were on the streets, shooting, raping and stealing everyone.

When the boy decided to run away from the city to Guinea, the neighboring country, I was very apprehensive. Because he would face a lot of difficulties trying to leave the city. Every checkpoint he reached, soldiers would extort him and the other passengers that were with him. After a long journey, the boy reached Conakry, Guinea’s capital. I felt very bad for him not having a place to sleep but then he went to the Sierra Leone’s embassy with other refugees looking for shelter. The book ends.

I didn’t understand the final of the book. How did he go to New York again? How he got money? What about his “new” family?

The book ends but many questions stay unanswered. The final is very “weak”, but, overall, it is a very good book.