Review Response - Liam

I think William Boyd was spot on with his thoughts on the book. It is so true that eastern area's of the world have worse conflicts. Where in the West (Canada, USA etc...) would you ever find a situation like that of Sierra Leone's? He also mentions how Ishmael was and is extremely intelligent, and how usually child soldiers don't get the opportunity to express their opinions on conflicts such as Ishmael's. I couldn't agree more. Here is a 12 year old kid who has been handed an automatic rifle and has been drugged out of his mind. It's truly remarkable. A 12 year old kid, not even a teenager, makes his way through a conflict we can't even wrap our minds around the thought of. It's sad though, because had Ishmael not gone through what he did, then we wouldn't have his book. And without books such as his, we wouldn't be as aware of worldly conflicts as we are today. Sure we'd have CNN and other news, but we never would have the personal accounts of what happened.

William raises a good point however. The book was so detailed when it came to non-violent memories, but when it came to the bloodshed and death, it was graphic, but didn't seem like it was as clear of a memory to Ishmael. This says something to me about Ishmael, is that the killing became such a way of life for him, he didn't pay much attention to it. He became so desensitized to all of the gore, merciless killing and hatred that he brushed it off. When he saw the first blood, of the people exiting the truck in the first couple chapters, he doubled over, vomiting and nearly fainting. At the end however, the war has become a way of life for him, because of the influence, power, safety, and not to mention the large amount of drugs he had consumed.

Journal #4 - Liam

Wow. The final chapters of the book. I think I speak for most readers when I say that the book has taken us through a ton of different thoughts and emotions. I find it sad, how he reaches safety but he still struggles for survival. He's addicted to many drugs, he can't process thoughts, and he hates the people trying to help him, because he sees it as he's being given orders. His experiences turned him into someone completely different from the start of the book. He hurts the innocent, steals, does everything that he would never do before the war. This is what's sort of sad. He has finally made it to the final checkpoint, but it is the hardest of all to overcome. He is addicted to drugs, and kills without second though. He has been brainwashed into a war-machine, and listens to no reason. It isn't his fault, he had no control. It was this, or be killed. What would you have chosen?

Ishmael has gotten to the point where he literally feels no pain. He breaks a window with his bare hand, and moves it back and forth so he can be taken back to the hospital, where he is safe and given shelter. After everything he has done, he's still forced to use power and wit just to survive.

When Ishmael is asked to perform for the EC, UN and UNICEF at the center, it showed how he may appear to be lost, but deep down there is still a little of himself left. Esther asks him to sing his reggae songs, but he asks to recite Shakespeare instead. This shows how intelligent he remains to be. He was always fascinated by such things, and this event shows how not all is lost. Towards the end of the book, he is more or less appearing normal, however the horrors he experienced and took part in, will never leave his mind. Amazing book, incredible story.

Review Response - Natacha

In my opinion, I think this book review by William Boyd is very well written. He explains the history of child soldiers in all different parts of Africa. He also talks about the book in a very detailed manner without spoiling it for readers who have yet to read it.
I like how Boyd explained the different types of drugs and guns such as "brown brown", a mix of cocaine and gun powder. By making his review really descriptive I think it gets people really interested and makes them want to know more about Ishmael's journey . I also enjoyed how he makes Ishmael sound like an innocent child and doesn't accuse him of being a killer, certain cridicts wouldn't necessarily make him sound innocent.
In the end I really enjoyed this review and they is nothing I disagree with. William Boyd definetly covered everything from the history of the war to  after when Ishmael moved to the U.S.A. I wouldn't change anything about this review.

Brown Brown

Brown-brown is a form of powdered cocaine mixed with smokeless gunpowder. Beah describes it was largely used by the children in the war.

Book Promo

Ishmael Beah

“I know the nature of what it is to be forgotten, what it is to lose your humanity, and more importantly, what it is to recover from it and to have another life.” – Ishmael Beah

Journal #4 - Natacha

 The last few chapters of this book were my favourite and the most interesting in my opinion. Throughout the whole book Ishmael had to say goodbye to the people closest to him and almost every new person he met during is journey as a boy soldier. Even when he finally found family and it seemed that nothing else would go wrong, the town was attacked and he had no choice but to leave. This book is so well written, and extremely descriptive that you're almost able to feel what Ishmael felt at the time.

I really loved how fast Ishmael was able to make so many new friends and how he was able to go to New York City. I didn’t like Mambu at first because he was intimidating, but as time passed he seemed to become a good friend to Ishmael. I was very happy when Ishmael’s old friend Mohamed showed up.

The story is in his point of view, and you feel as if you are going through the same experiences that Ishmael did. For example, when Ishmael told us that he never saw Mambu again because he was sent back to war, he never saw Alhaji again because he was sent to another children’s center , and when he said “It was the last time I saw her. I loved her but never told her.” Referring to Esther, This line was so sudden and a rather simple ending to their friendship. As the reader, you know read about everything Ishmael went through and you know that he was always stubborn towards Esther but for the first time he says he loved her. Alhaji, who he spent so much of his war days with and was by his side for so long was never seen again, which is pretty sad because they went through the toughest times together. This book literally makes you feel a pain inside yourself. This book book makes readers so emotional, while reading it you will laugh, you will tear up, you feel happiness, you will sympathize and you will learn.

This book is, by far, the best book I have ever read and I would re-read it.