War and Peace with A Long Way Gone

 The war and peace text set was another tough one. War is always a difficult topic, but it's so much worse when we put it in the context of children's lives. The children's books we read tug at my heartstrings. One book specifically was called Faithful Elephants. This book was the first one I read during our library day, and it absolutely crushed me. War is also all the more difficult to process when we involve animals. I think this is similar to the feelings we have about children in war.  Both animals and children have pure intentions and are faultless in these situations, but they have to feel the harsh effects of war nonetheless.

The novel we read as a class was A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. This text was a little different because its genre was memoir. In this book, Beah writes of his experience growing up in Sierra Leon, Africa. Here he is forced from his village by violent rebels. Eventually he is captured and forced into become a child soldier. Beah writes honestly about how he became a changed, hardened person when he was forced to perform his duties. Beah is able to leave this situation, but it is a slow process to become himself again. With the help of some good people and the United Nations, Beah leaves Africa and is able to tell his story with the hope of spreading awareness and empathy.

This memoir was incredibly humbling. I felt like I had a very intimate glimpse into Beah's life, and I fully respect his ability to lay his trauma out for everyone to see, especially considering the horrible things that he was brainwashed into doing and feeling. His memoir reminds us that there are conflicts going on across the world, and even the people who may seem like the "bad guys" are often only trying to survive.