A Long Way Gone

First, let me say that Ishmael Beah, the author of the above book, is a beautiful person inside and out. One blogger described his story as a 'story of silence'. I think it is an appropriate way to describe it. You can't help but feel like you are right along side him on his journey of pain, suffering, hope, and joy.

Here are some of my favorite parts of the book...

"Within minutes of talking to each other, we knew that the room was filled with young people who had had a very difficult childhood, and some were going to return to these very lives at the end of the conference"

"I was sad to leave, but I was also pleased to have met people outside of Sierra Leone. Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." (Beautifully said)

"I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child."

"I knew I could never forget my past, but I wanted to stop talking about it so that I would be fully present in my new life."