Beah’s memoir, A Long Way Gone, is an account of his painful childhood in Sierra Leone. Through many obstacles and changes, he triumphs. One of his most memorable feats is the transformation from a child soldier into a functioning citizen.

Beah describes his childhood in Sierra Leone and the simple, uninterrupted life he lived. “On Mattru Jong’s morning, we loaded our backpacks up with lyrics and our cassettes. It shows how innocent and basic he was in the face of the destruction of the world around him.” Later, he said that he still sees the same images he saw as a six-year-old. This is the most significant quote in the book. It shows that, despite all the hardships he has faced and the trials he has gone through, Beah still sees the same images he saw when he was six years old. He begins to unravel and is caught up in the rebellion. At this point, he experiences many horrible events. One of these moments stands out for me is when he wrote “His Adam’s Apple made way for a sharp knife, and he turned the bandit with zigzag edges as if caught by surprise.” He looked straight into my eyes as they rolled up his face. Then, they stopped looking at me in the eye and suddenly took a horrifying look at me. That’s the definition I’m not sure of what constitutes fucked up. He said that he had been fighting for more than two years and that killing was a daily habit. I felt sorry for everyone. My childhood was gone without me even knowing. It seems like my heart has frozen.” (Pg.126). For Beah, killing is now a regular thing. He believes that killing is normal and right, but it’s not.

Beah becomes a UNICEF spokesperson after being released from a hospital. Beah begins by saying that “That night as I sat down on the verandah and listened to some boys discuss the volleyball match I missed”, he began to recall his childhood. He then becomes a UNICEF spokesperson. He says that the scene “continued to resurface in my memory like lightning during a rainy night.” (Pg.160). His past actions are haunting him. He also writes that Leslie had told him that he was going to “repatriate” me and put back into normal society. (Pg. He also wrote “Leslie had told me that I was to be “repatriated” and reinstated into normal society.” (Pg.

Beah is remarkable for how he managed to return to civil society after everything he had been through. He was an addict and killed many people before he was finally shot. He now wants to help others in similar positions to his childhood. He strives to make the world better. I find that admirable. It conveys the message, even if it wasn’t completely accurate.