Ishmael Beah

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1. Introduce the person or people at the center of the book you read.
The book I chose to read is titled A long way gone and was written by Ishmael Beah. Ishmael Beah was a child soldier for the Sierra Leone Armed Services during the civil war with the RUF (Revolutionary United Front), known as the rebels. Ishmael blamed the rebels for the death of his family, his soldiering was motivated by his desire for revenge.
The character of Ishmael Beah is really complex. His story is one of personal transformation and survival. Before the war, he enjoyed a happy childhood in his village. He loved rap music, had many friends, and loved Shakespeare. Afterward, we saw him changing little by little, hardening himself to the reality of the war. During his …show more content…
Without it, he wouldn’t be doing all these wonderful things for children, he wouldn’t be where he is right now. Like he said at the end of the book: “If I choose to feel guilty for what I have done, I will want to be dead myself. I live knowing that I have been given a second life, and I just try to have fun, and be happy and live it the best I can.”
Another trait that helped Beah bring change is his sense of survival and preservation. He surely demonstrated it when he was wandering from village to village, but I think that these attributes were the most useful when war broke out in Freetown, his new home. Beah wrote that he doubted he could live in the midst of the violence again. Ishmael, who was feeling the latent soldier within himself, realized that he should escape the war and the chaos or he would have been pulled back into soldiering again.
Finally, I think Beah has shown to be strong and brave in every aspect of his life. He had exhibited a lot of psychological strength when he was recovering from the war. He also demonstrated physical strength at Benin Home (rehabilitation center) when he quit drugs. Lastly, he was brave to move definitely in America, living all his world behind. After living through his own tragedy, Ishmael had and still has the strength to bring his life back to what he wants and …show more content…
He is doing everything that he can to make a change in their life. Ishmael Beah's accomplishments helped greatly to raise awareness of child soldiers and help former child soldiers acquire a new life.

7. Summarize the different steps taken to bring about change.
• Ishmael applies to be part of a delegation of children who will visit the United Nations in New York to tell their stories.
• The United Nations' Conference, in New York City.
• May 25, 1997, war breaks out in Freetown.
• 1998, Ishmael moves out definitively from Sierra Leone and come to live in New York with Laura Simms.
• Finish high school in New York, at the United Nation International School.
• 2004, Ishmael graduate from Oberlin College in Political Science.
• Member of the Human Rights Watch Children's Rights Division Advisory Committee.
• Ambassador and spokesperson for UNICEF.
• 2007, found the Ishmael Beah Foundation, dedicated to helping former child soldiers reintegrate into society and improve their life.
• Doing conferences for different organizations (UNO, Council on Foreign Relation, CETO, Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, etc.)
• Co-foundation, with 5 other child soldiers, of the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW)

8. Evaluate the extent of their success and
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