A Long Way Gone : By Ishmael Beah

    In the book , A Long Way Gone , by Ishmael Beah , Ishmael went through extremely hard times and yet he still survived . Through out everything he stayed strong and barely broke down . When he did , you could tell he had been holding it in . Although this may be a book , it's a true story ! Everything he went through actually happened . He was one of many to survive from his village . Luckily he was not alone , him and his friends didn't loose each other . Everything happened so fast , even Ishmael was unsure about what was going on . As a child he was scared , nervous even , he went through things that many other people would have died from .

    As he grew older , more mysterious things began to happen . He was recruited to kill the Rebels . The rebels were the men who invaded the villages . Killing anybody in sight , men ; women ; and even children . Although he was a child , if they would have seen him and his friends , he would've been dead to . Luckily , he was smart . He and his friends stuck together and survived . Some of the struggles he went through consist of eating raw fruits and vegetables . He went into villages that the rebels had been through and collected food . When he was on his way to a village he saw a mother carrying a baby in a sling . He saw the mother crying over her baby girls dead body . She was just a baby , and she died with her eyes open . Going through what he went through must have been hard . Imagine being a child and seeing dead bodies everywhere . Not knowing if your family is dead or alive . That was another struggle he went through . Through out the war , family members just fled . They didn't stop and wonder they just ran and yelled their lost childrens name . As he went to each village he become more and more nervous . Unsure of what he could find each time . He was not the only one who had been through had times . A friend of his , was in the attic , while just below him his sisters were raped by the rebels . I believe his mother and father were still alive while this was happening . Him and his friends were almost caught multiple times . Through everything they went through he stayed strong and tried to help his country . He was very angry that no one tried to help . He was just a child that got his childhood ripped away from him , so easily , in the matter of hours .

     In conclusion , I hope that Ishmael eventually grew from all of this . Although he can never forget about what he has gone through . He never gave up , even when he could've . He stayed strong and fought for himself . If i were to ever meet him I would ask him so many questions . I would for sure say he's a role model . Somebody to admire and look up to . Even though he has been through so much , I hope that shows people that you can go through sooooo much and still make it out . This book shows , heroism , braveness , love , and loyalty . No doubt that I would read this book a million times !