This is an important, gripping work that brings attention to some of what's happening in other parts of the world.
However ....
... if you read-up on this author, you'll find out about the ongoing controversy over the accuracy of events that occur in the book. (Look for articles in Slate, the New York times, among others.)
As a result, several salient points emerge:
1) First and foremost, the author probably *did* experience some of what was written about in Memoirs, although to a different degree than described
2) Much of this was written originally as _fiction_ with the aid of his Oberlin Creative Writing teacher Dan Chaon, which was then changed to non-fiction.
This means that:
3) The book contains BOTH FICTIVE AND NON-FICTIVE ELEMENTS, the fictive elements (in the Creative Writing teacher's own words, captured on tape by an Australian journalist) added as "poetic license."
And here is where I take umbrage.
With the relatively-recent publication and retraction of fake biographies (such as "Love and Consequences," a fake memoir of growing up in an L.A. gang, since discredited and pulled by the publisher), I think the blowback against this book is reasonable.
SAY NO TO FACT-ION
Faction has become a bit too rampant nowadays, from "historical movies" that invent unsubstantiated love affairs (think Truman Capote kissing Perry Smith in "Infamous," or Queen Elizabeth having an historically unsubstantiated affair with Sir Walter Raleigh in "Elizabeth: The Golden Years,") to books like "Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan," which blessedly received the ridicule it deserved.
And perhaps it's true that it's the publishing houses -- or even the public's taste for only the most sensationalistic -- that are to blame, putting pressure on well-intentioned authors such as Ishmael Beah to color stories that are already horrific enough, for the sake of maximum marketability.
By all means, read and absorb Ishmael Beah's tragic story.
You can be sure some of these things happened to him, and certainly to others.
But let's start thinking about saying "no" to another machine, although one less horrific than the one Beah had to endure: the machine of sensationalism-over-truth, which encourages writers and publishers to color facts to maximize sales, thus potentially discrediting what is an important core message.
Compelling This is a compelling true story. A boy named Ishmael leaves his comfortable life in an African village to attend a rap music event with his brother and a few friends. While he is gone, rebel forces attack his village destroying his home and family life. He, his brother, Junior, and his friends then wander the countryside of Sierra Leone trying to survive and avoid both the rebel and government troops. Identifying the enemy is difficult in a country rich in resources and awash with government corruption. Ishmael is separated from his group and eventually attaches himself to another group of teenage boys all under 16. Eventually, the war catches up with him and he and his little band are conscripted into the government troops. For the next two or more years and armed with an AK 47 and RPG's, he kills, maims, and robs in the name of the government. These boy soldiers take many drugs to dull their feelings and allow themselves to participate in the inhumane slaughter. Finally, aid workers either buy the boys' freedom or settle with their army leader and obtain their release. They are taken into the custody of rehabilitation counselors where they are given an opportunity for redemption. Ishmael clearly a natural leader is selected to travel to New York to attend a U.N. conference on child soldiers. While there he makes many friends. I understand that he was taken in by one of them and that he subsequently attended Oberlin college.
I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5, because it drags a bit during the years of army participation and killing. Further, Ishmael's parents are divorced, but he lives with his father. His family is Muslim and that may be why the father retained custody. Very telling in the book was a description on pg. 77 (hardback) of his formal naming ceremony. A huge feast is prepared. First the elders eat their fill, then the men, then the boys and lastly the women and children. I presume that if there isn't enough to share, the women and children starve. I don't know if the author realized what he revealed about his culture by this telling description. However, we never learn the basis of the divorce or why his father retained custody. Living conditions were somewhat primative. The houses were made of concrete brick or mud and they had tin roofs which were particularly noisy when it rained. Their diet was complete though not luxurious, and they were not hungry. However, they walked for miles to save bus fare and did not have electricity or telephones in their homes. Sierra leone sounds like a terrible place. The film, Blood Diamond, was about a similar subject.
I really don't know if there is a solution when countrymen kill one another over money, resources, and power. However, perhaps, this book and the film, Blood diamond, will be the stimulus for a resolution.
This book was worth reading, and I recommend it.
Intense, heartwrenching, difficult -- important. Incredible memoir... Easy to read, difficult to believe. Sometimes I wanted to stop because it was so painful, but I am really glad I pushed through those hard time because it is an amazing story and most important a true one. I feel it is vital to be aware of such atrocities to be both educated and balanced as a person. It is a story that really needs to be known. I deeply hope it is put into film so a wider audience knows of it. Wherever Ishmael is now I hope he is at peace and finding joy in his life. I want to hug him and shake his hand and tell him he is amazing.
zak's review I found the book spellbounding and depressing. I could not put it down for the first two third's of the book. I gave it to my daughter who thought it was just as good.
WOW I heard his story as he did an interview on NPR. I raced to the bookstore to pick up my copy. The book took me through every emotion. I sat in my living room wondering how a kid could go through such a life like his. This book was well writting and I'm proud to know a young man can make positive changes in his life despite the past. Every person need to read this book. I can change your life.
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