Reading Response: Critical thinking A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

The book "A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah is a book about the author as a child and growing up as a child soldier. Currently in the book he is still escaping from the rebels but has seen what they have done and barely escaped them. Ishmael and his group of 6 other boys that barely know each other are trying to escape the rebels and get to the countries military. They travel on foot through jungles, forests, villages, deserts, and are feared every where because they seem like a band of child soldiers even though they are just a group of 12 year old boys escaping to safety. In my book the people who have power are the rebels. It is shown by how quickly they have managed to destroy 3 villages in one day and including murdering all the villagers in inhuman ways.  

An example of how the rebels have power is how they are feared among all of Sierra Leone. For example the group of boys are known as the “Seven Boys” who go around villages pretending to be scared children but end up being child soldiers who spy and kill people. This is a clear example of how the rebels have scared people enough to believe a group of boys are going to be terrorizing their towns. The rebels have also made many people leave their hometowns and go into exile just to avoid them. As you can see these are examples of how the rebels have power.

Another example of how the rebels have power is their enormous army and plentiful weapons and supplies. The rebel leaders go into the villages and massacre the villagers in any way they want and keep the boys they want for soldiers. They loot their houses and after wards set it all on fire. If one decided to fight they would crucify people and light them on fire, dismember people, or worse. When they recruit new members or boys they make them kill their families and burn their villages. Recruiting is either by abduction or choosing. The rebels also have many automatic, semi automatic, rocket launchers, flamethrowers, grenades, and many more weapons. These villagers barely have enough money to survive and live in shacks. They are very defenseless. As you can see this shows you why people are afraid of the rebels and give them the power to do as they please.

To sum it all up the book “ A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” by Ishmael Beah is about Ishmael Beah’s life step by step. He does some unforgettable things and so have many more. I believe that in the book the people who posses the most power are the rebels. This is because they are feared everywhere by every one. If I were in Ishmael’s position I don't think I would have lasted as long as him. He was very quick to think and athletic. He not only escaped the rebels but also escaped wild animals and other tribes and villages who feared him and tried to kill him.