A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Rap music saved Ishmael Beah’s life. 

In Sierra Leone, Africa, 12-year-old Ishmael and Junior Beah, along with a few friends, cherish their few American rap cassette tapes.  The boys memorize the lyrics, choreograph dance moves, practice their routine, and enter a talent show in the nearby town of Mattru Jong.  Walking the 16 miles from their own village of Mogbwemo, they arrive in Mattru Jong and settle down for the night at the home of a schoolmate.

That contest never happens.  In 1992 Sierra Leone is in the midst of a civil war and the rebels are attacking villages throughout the region.  Mogbwemo is attacked while Ishmael is in Mattru Jong  He and his brother anxiously watch the stream of survivors cross the river and enter the town, hoping to see their mother, father, and younger brother. However, as the days pass and the family never arrives, the boys have to flee the approaching rebels.

The brothers criss-cross the bush, hiding.  Once, they are captured by rebels looking for recruits and Ishmael is judged inadequate for soldier duty.  Before Beah can be shot, the rebels hear gunshots in the distance and flee; in the confusion Beah and his brother and friends scatter.  But one night, Ishmael and his brother are separated during an attack, and are never reunited. Alone, Ishmael spends several weeks in the forest before joining a second band of boys.

           

After ups and downs, the boys stumble into the arms of the army (ironically, not the rebel army, but the government soldiers) and are made to take up arms.  For over two years he fights, fueled by marijuana, cocaine mixed with gunpowder, images from Rambo and other war films shown nightly to bolster courage and violence, and migraine headaches. 

The narrative continues, covering a few more years, and eventually Beah escapes the army’s clutches and finds his way to America where he now lives and where he wrote his story.

I was first attracted to this novel because of the topic.  In 2007, one of our history teachers organized a showing of Invisible Children, a documentary about child soldiers in Uganda.  Focusing on one village, the documentary chronicles the lives of the children who nightly trek into the nearest large town to sleep because the rebel soldiers are known to attack the villages at night to steal the children.  In the morning, they walk home, only to return to town again at dusk.  I can’t forget the scene of one young man, tears rolling down his cheeks unchecked, sobbing loud and long for his dead brother.  He wanted to go to school, but couldn’t; his life was a constant hide-and-seek game with the rebels, trying to avoid the fate of his older brother.

           

I want my students to be exposed to stories like Invisible Children, and A Long Way Gone because the stories they tell are so very different from the typical American teenager’s story.  The school where I teach is in a rural community, but it is also a community full of commuters to California’s  Bay Area.  Many residents have very nice homes and a lot of disposable income and many of my students think little of the luxuries they enjoy.  Not only are most of them safe from physical harm, but they have a lot of their own spending money and a lot of freedom.  They have enough money to perhaps have their own car, buy the latest clothes, eat as much as they want (or more), and buy the latest video game whenever it comes out.  They can play the warrior in that video game, killing the enemy with a chain saw, all from their safe, well-stocked bedrooms.  I want my students to have a wider understanding of the world.  At the least, I hope they will become more aware of how blessed their lives are; at the most, I hope they will see that they are part of the world community and learn to use their time, resources and creativity to help change the wrongs in the world. 

As a parent and a teacher, I am often alarmed by American society’s desire to see violence.  I am not one to advocate the outlawing of rock lyrics or violent video games (No one ever points out the millions of people who play these games and DON’T go on to become criminals!), but I have noticed a trend among young people to think violence is “cool.”  When I show a film in class, many students are bored by the more subtle character development and plot twists, but sit up and pay attention to the action and violence. 

Beah tells the following story as a preface to his narrative:
           “My high school friends [in the US] have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life.

     “Why did you leave Sierra Leone?”

     “Because there is a war."

     “Did you witness some of the fighting?”

     “Everyone in the country did.”
     “You mean you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?”

     “Yes, all the time.”

     “Cool.”

      I smile a little.

      “You should tell us about it sometime.”

      “Yes, sometime.”       (3)

The teen boys may think that it's cool to hear the stories, but Beah knows the reality of living them.

 

Daniel Hansen - War is personal for me.

Daniel Hansen, a 2002 graduate of West High School, where I teach, was killed in action in Afghanistan on February 14, 2009.  Daniel was an identical twin, and both of the boys were in my class -- both at once during their freshman year, and Matthew again his junior and senior years.  They were so close to each other, and when they joined the Marines after high school, I worried that something would happen to one of them and leave the other devastated.  Something did.  Matthew has carried on, as we all must, but he doesn't ever forget his brother and best friend.  I often think of Daniel and Matthew, and of the sacrifice they have both made for this country.

I was honored to speak at Daniel's memorial service held March 7, 2009 in the West High gym.  This is what I wrote for the service:

"As teachers, we sometimes wonder what kind of impact we have on our students.  We lecture, and grill and drill, and then test to see if they have learned.  We hope they carry our academic lessons with them when they leave us.  Most of us also hope we have instilled in them some truths about how to live a good life and be responsible citizens.

Since Daniel and Matt left West High, I’ve thought about them often, and worried about their safety.  Since I heard the news of Daniel’s death three weeks ago, I’ve reminisced about his time in my classroom.  It occurred to me as I looked as his life then and now that it is Daniel who is doing the teaching and it is we who remain behind who can learn from his example.  Here are a few things Daniel has taught me:

Daniel taught me that I must remember to hold those I love close.  From the beginning of their freshman year, Daniel and Matt were practically one person at West High.  You rarely heard their first names; people just referred to “the Hansens.”  To be honest, I was never very good at telling them apart;  in my seating chart, Daniel was toward the front of the room because D comes before M in the alphabet.  I’m sure the twin bond had something to do with how close they were, but from what I’ve heard, they were just plain best friends too.  They liked being together and, while one might criticize the other, no one else better try it.  I believe either one of them would have sacrificed himself for the other.  Daniel’s relationship with Matthew was just one of his relationships that show us how important it is to love and love well.

Daniel taught me to commit to what I believe in.  Like most boys of his age, school wasn’t the activity of choice for Daniel – he would rather be out doing something physical, preferably in the outdoors.  However, he stuck with his studies and worked hard.  He knew education was important and he did what he needed to do to get the grade.  I think he knew fairly early in his life that he wanted to be a Marine and he committed to the idea of regimen and discipline through the Sea Cadets and through sports.  As a Marine he was committed to the Corp and its values, and to the United States.  What an honor that generals and presidents trusted his commitment enough to put their lives in his hands. (Daniel was part of the security guarding George W. Bush at Camp David, and later guarded the leading general in Iraq.)

Daniel taught me that patriotism is still a really cool thing.  His whole adult life was dedicated to serving the people and the ideals of the United States of America.  He volunteered to do this; no one made him do it.  He believed in the integrity of our nation and wore the colors and symbols of the country proudly.

And Daniel taught me the value of a courageous life.  Whatever else war is, it is ugly.  It is scary.  It is dangerous.  It is a reality.  I don’t think I’m alone when I say that when I consider the possibility of personally facing the kind of danger soldiers face, I feel a knot in my stomach.  Would I be brave?  Or would I try every way I could to weasel out of my duty?  Even when the cause is just, the will may be tempted to bolt.  Daniel fought courageously and for a just cause.  The incredible danger inherent in the EOD’s (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) mission was not an issue.  He braved the danger because he was a Marine and his job was to protect his comrades.

These lessons from Daniel are not exclusive.  I’m proud to have known him and proud to have become his student.  It is my hope that every one of you here can learn these same lessons from Daniel and the men and women like him."

Davina's Magical Radio

My husband is an author and this is his first YA novel. I'm very proud of him and his work.  You can follow his blog at stevendbynum.blogspot.com.  Here are a few things I like about his book.

Davina, DeBrina, and Fabiola are like the Three Muskateers -- one for all and all for one.  The teens are typical girls in most ways -  they like boys, listen to music, work hard in school, play sports, and just hang out with each other.  They live happily with their families in a small, Central California town.  However, they also have a magical radio.

For her 13th birthday, Davina Gonzalez recieves an old-fashioned radio from her detective uncle.  Strangly, the radio begins playing songs even though there is no observable power source.  Even more strange, is that the radio speaks to the girls by name, and seems to hear them talking too.  Using clues from the radio, the girls begin solving crimes in their town, including one that threatens the life of DeBrina!

The radio uses riddles and codes to deliver the clues to the girls, and the writer presents them in such a way that the reader has an equal chance at solving the problems.  Young people seem to naturally like riddles and puzzles, and will feel good when they solve mysteries along with the three friends (and sometimes before they solve them) and parents and teachers will like the problem-solving skills that are reinforced through this approach.

This books is written for the YA audience -- I would say kids, and especially girls, between 4th and 9th grade would enjoy it the most. The mysteries keep the reader reading, and kids will like the fact that the heroines are real.  The three girls are not trouble-making teens, nor are they "mean girls" who gossip, backstab, and generally look down on anyone who isn't like them -- two all-too-common teenage stereotypes in the media, stereotypes that most teens cannot identify with.  They are respectful to their parents, they work hard in school, and they have good, clean fun.  They talk like real kids and about subjects that real kids talk about.

What's cool about the fact that they are real is that readers can say, "If these girls can use their brains like this, then so can I."  The book empowers young readers, and especially female readers, and shows them the value of brain power!

Persuasion and Maximum Ride

Ok, I can't believe I mentioned those two books in the same title.  I like James Patterson, but c'mon, Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice!

Jane Austen's Persuasion was published posthumously in 1818.  Mostly likely, it was her brother who gave it the title we have today; records indicate that Jane would have called it The Elliots.  I think her brother chose wisely because the central conflict arises when Anne Elliot allows herself to be persuaded away from marrying Captain Wentworth some years before the narrative begins.  According to the text, "She was persuaded to believe the engagement a wrong thing -- indiscreet, improper, hardly capable of success, and not deserving it."  For the rest of the story, she repents this mistake of her youth.  I would go so far as to say that throughout the novel Austen was showing how farcical it is to live a life dictated by such ideals as class rank (read "snobbery").  A list I found on the Internet gave me 27 references from the novel to the words persuasion, persuadable, or persuade.  I'm thinking her brother read the text fairly closely, what?

So, a quick plot summary:  Anne is the youngest of three daughters of a widowed baronet concerned more about his physical appearance and status among the peerage than about the happiness of his offspring.  Sister One is just like Daddy, but is still unmarried.  Her one chance to marry her cousin, and heir of the family estate, fails (probably because he sees her for what she is).  Daughter Two made a decent marriage to a family with property and money, but is unhappy because no one pays her enough attention (in her view).  Anne is the kind, helpful one, forced to cater to the desires of her father and sisters.  As a young woman she listened to the advice of Lady Russell, a friend of Anne's deceased mother, who is like is like a second mother to the girls, but also has the unfortunate trait of being a little snobbish.  Anne broke off an engagement with a young sailor because he had no title or income to speak of.  Now, years later, she meets him again as Captain Wentworth and finds that her feelings for him are still alive.  Anne encounters him at Sister Two's in-laws' estate, in Lyme, and again in Bath.  Is there someone else in his heart or does he have eyes for Anne?

I enjoy reading Jane Austen.  After the initial period of adjustment to 19th-Century prose, I usually settle in for a good, accessible story.  I think I've read all of Austen's novel's except Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion is my least favorite so far.  (Emma is actually my favorite!)  I found the prose exceedingly difficult at times, having to read sentences over and over.  I don't think I ever really acclimated to the style this time.  The plot was very simple really, which is OK, but it was predictable too.  There was never much doubt about the ending, and actually, the conclusion all happened too quickly for my taste.  Anne didn't have to anguish enough!  I don't mean that in a "mean girl" kind of way -- it's just that in this type of romance, there is usually a lot of angst on the heroine's part before she gets the guy and that was missing her.

Well, we'll see whether my sister-readers agree with me at my next book group.

And now on to Maximum Ride by James Patterson.  A friend recommended I read this YA series, thinking it might be something to recommend to my high school students.  Thank you, Sheri!  She gave me the first six books of the series.  I've read the first and plan to continue. 

James Patterson has a quick, descriptive writing style.  Once you are involved in the plot, the reading moves quickly.  Many of his chapters are one- to two-pagers.  Though is he known most for his contemporary adult-reader books, he has done a good job capturing teenage dialogue (thankfully cleaner dialogue than many teens I've heard) and has created characters a lot of kids will care about.

Maximum Ride (Max to her "flock") is a genetically altered teenage girl.  She looks human, for the most part, but the avian DNA grafted in by the "white coats" at The School gives her light bones and wings.  So, yes, she can fly.  So can all the members of the flock:  Fang, Iggy, Gazzy (the Gasman, for ummm, obvious teenage humor reasons), Nudge, and Angel.  Years ago a "white coat" set them free and taught them to survive.  Now, they are being hunted. But by whom?  As the matriarch, Max leads this group of homeless youth on a flight (haha) from The School's goons, the Erasers (part human and part wolf).  Oh yah, and if keeping your friends free and safe isn't enough, Max now has a voice in her head telling her to save the world.

If you are looking for a good book for your middle-school or high-school reader, this might be it.

My next post will be about another YA book out there.  It's new, it's fun, and it's written by a really cool new author.  Stay tuned.