Here's a spot to share some thoughts (without the pressure of speaking up in class) on the beginning of the book. What do you think so far?
The first and second time I read this book, I was mortified by the graphicness. I thought about how much those images must have affected Beah in order for him to be able to recall such detail years after all of this happened. He ssems to remember in in such vivid detail the sights he saw and sounds he heard. He even sometimes talks about the smell. I had to keep reminding myself that he was only 12 at the time.
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I think a long way gone is a good book so far. The only thing I don't like about, is that it can get a little boring sometimes, for example when he was in the forest, I didn't find that too interesting. The book so far has been a little graphic, with a few gruesome details. What I think is bad, is that kids my age and younger go through this everyday and lose their parents, friends, brothers, and a lot of other close people to them. I like the book so far and I hope you do to.
ReplyDeleteI think the book is alright. It gets a little boring sometimes. I actually find myself falling asleep reading this book. I was appalled by the graphic in this book. Try to imagine yourself in Ishmael's position. Imagine watching people dying right in front of your face, wishing you could help, but don't 'cause doing so, you would have to risk your own life. Ishmael's only 12 years; I sort of admire him. His courage and dedication is something I look up to.
ReplyDeleteJenny, I'm glad you picked up on two aspects of his personality- courage and dedication. These are great words to describe Ishmael. He is still working to end child soldiers in Africa so you really nailed it with the word "dedicated."
ReplyDeleteI think the book is a great but gruesome way to share what really goes on in the world. I'm sure most people haven't heard of this war until now. It is an opportunity of understanding other cultures. Especially the ones we don't know about. This book talks about hardships and sorrow we sometimes need to realize the good things on Earth.
ReplyDeleteIshmael is so young and exposed to so much that it hurts to read. The description is so vivid i can almost hear the AK-47's. The author strung the plot,detail,and the 5 senses together excellent. One of my favorite books so far.
i agree completely with jenny. Ishmeal is very strong and brave. Sure he has fear, but if i was in his position i would have broke down and given up, but not ishmeal! He is almost the leader of the group, and also the youngest! I can not even fathum what he has seen, what he has felt, what he has been through. It's sad that in other countrys this is how life is, and we here think life is so hard when we don't get everything handed to us. it's hard to imagine a 12 year old boy, with his 6 other friends, who are older, trying to find my family, steer clear of the rebels, and battle the fact that your in the ,iddle of a war! life sure is different there, and most of us here would not make it through that, because we are not used to battleing all those things! We are fortunate to have the things we have, and we tend to take that for granted. Again it is hard to remember he is 12 with all he's been through,but he has no control over those things.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing about him only being two years younger than me and I would never in a million years be able to talk about it afterwards. He does remember a lot of things and it seems like he remembers the bad things the most vivid, except for his flashbacks. For him to loose all his family and travel by himself in a forest for a month I thought he was very brave for that. What bothered me the most was that when he went to villages they treated them like animals when all they were trying to do was pass through. From i've read so far this is a great book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenny and guess???, it is very graphic and it would be hard to see and cope with all those things. I think the beginning of the book is good, and i hope the end will be the same.
ReplyDeleteAll the blood and guts must have really been etched into his mind for it him to have described it so vividly, and it is pretty hard to remember that Ishmael is only 12. So far, I think the book is good, but it probably won't be one of my favorites. That's because it's a serious downer having to read a true story where the main character's life is turned upside down with war and his friends and family are dying or missing.
ReplyDeleteHe had to have been mulling on it and dwelling on it for him to remember it so clearly. Losing your family has to be hard, you can't have gone through something like that without it affecting you in some way. If you go through something that has a great emotion attached, then it is usually etched into your mind.
ReplyDeleteI thought the book was good. Ishmel remembers a lot of violent and tragic things that happened to him. At the end I wondered how he remembered his family from the beginning but he said he couldn't even think of the time when he actually had a family. I feel sorry for Ishmel. I wish he could redo his life over again, without the war. After he moved to America, I bet he had a hard time recovering his war trauma.
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