A Long Way Gone Audiobook By Ishmael Beah cover art

A Long Way Gone

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

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A Long Way Gone

By: Ishmael Beah
Narrated by: Ishmael Beah
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In A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah tells a riveting story in his own words: how, at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.

This is how wars are fought now by children, hopped up on drugs, and wielding AK-47s. In the more than fifty violent conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child soldiers.

Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. How does one become a killer? How does one stop? Child soldiers have been profiled by journalists, and novelists have struggled to imagine their lives. But it is rare to find a first-person account from someone who endured this hell and survived.

This is a rare and mesmerizing account, told with real literary force and heartbreaking honesty.

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World Refugee Day is a time to celebrate the bravery and strength of those who have had to flee their homes in search of protection. But it's also a day of empathy, of understanding, and of listening, so that we may hear the stories of refugees and the struggles they've had to endure. This collection of biographies and memoirs written by and about refugees offers a window into their lived experiences and an invitation to a greater sense of compassion.

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I picked up this audiobook after discovering that my ancestors are from the Mende tribe of Sierra Leone. Wanting to hear what it is like there, I said let me give this story a shot (no pun intended). And wow. To hear the chronology of events that took place FROM the author himself. Ismael Beah does an incredible job of taking the listener through this emotional Rollercoaster. Job. Well. Done.

One day.... One day I will meet him and thank him in person. And another day, I will visit the land of my ancestors, Sierra Leone.

Nothing Like It

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What I loved the most is the story made me feel a deep sense of understanding even though I have never gone though anything like this.

Ishmael Beah is AMAZING

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Loved it. This was an amazing story, told firsthand by former child soldier Ishmael Bean. I would highly recommend this title. Now to start Beahs next title.

A long way gone = intense

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I loved that it was the actual author telling it in his accent. On some parts I could truly feel the emotion while he told his story

it was great!

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It placed me in the shoes of the author, surviving a horrific experience. A page turner from the start.

Simplistic story telling.

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