His last point is the most profound." When people are educated about it they change their views." The glorification of violence is inevitable, yet education can, perhaps, provide reasonable limits on a person's desire to perpetuate it.
@Sexynini93 i just read this book and im in 10th grade... it is a great book but very heart breaking & very detailed about the killings & all the differnt things he saw during the war.
read his book in junior high, it was probably the best book i ever read cause i knew it was his reality. his story made a huge impact on my outlook at that age
Reading this for my required summer reading, and I have to say, I really couldn't ask for a better book to do an assignment on. It is powerful, horrifying, sad, and entertaining. It is simply "un-putdownable".
i think you people should go to sierra leone for the summer thn come post what experiance you you had from the trip--> and see how the Dislikes feel after wat you been through
Well said. Thanks to ya brother for sharing. keep educating these wanna be thugs or so-called "gang bangers" that war n real voilence is nothin to be romanticize..I was in Sierra Leone n Liberia durin de wars n I tell ya stuff dat I experienced..are things that I'm still dealin with evn to this day..
This book is seriously amazing. This is actually the first book I've read in my english class that I enjoy. It's so hard to believe what he had to go through. If you haven't read it yet, do it.
I just fininshed reading his book and its ready amazing, it made me to be strong and live with what I've witness as a child. Thanks to him for writing this book.
@ThreesSpray Or maybe poor kids who are too uneducated to really fathom what happened. What I said I do not believe but do not stereotype on who gave the dislikes to this video it is very bias and untrue. Just enjoy the book and the interview because Ishmael Beah is an amazing person.
His book was amazing, I could never go through what he went through. He is so inspiring, and I wish he would come speak somewhere near me. He is so strong, and he amazes me.
This Book, is so fantastic! It was a true story that I actually found interesting and never wanted to end. I had so many emotions while reading this book! Ishmael Beah, you are an amazing writer!
i hate this world we live in as humans, we are all brothers and sisters, why? just why do we kill, rape, beat, and steal from each other? people talk about hell, and how its the most horrible place. no, this world we live in is the most horrible place.
The sad thing is that most often the commanders, the people who recruit child soldiers, were child soldiers themselves at some point. That place is downright brutal.
I met him today, he came to our school for a special presentation. It was amazing for once our whole grade paid attention not even one whisper through-out the audience. He signed my book.
My class is reading his "A Long Way Gone" and it is seriously hard to believe everything is real... but the reality that it is actually real is just... mind-blowing. Great book and amazing details. His words are so moving.
it's really cool to actualy see him after just finishing the book. i'm glad he didnt forget because by telling his story it's changed a lot of people's persectives on the world. we all need to know these things so we can stop them.
oooooh You pple have no idea especially since most of what happen during the war didnt happen to u or ur family...Forgiviness is hard but i see problem when the rebels that hurt soo many pple r been glorify..He shldn't b the ones tell the story the vicitims shld, he shldn't b the one that has the face the vicitims shld, u all here seem to care about the fact that he has rehabilited back into society ..But what about my dad wat abt my brother wat about my pains RIP WHAT ABT ALL THE PPLE THEY HURT
@gopack2k I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
@MINGLINGification Is simply ' the victim have victims too..Meaning even though they were victim they end up been the source of a lot of pple pain~ I don't want to argue about this so this is all from me~
@gopack2k I can’t express what I have to say in 500character but I do know that we are all victims yeah they were victims too but place, time and story heard through many family member who were soldiers tells me that there were opportunity for them to save lives and escape themselves. But just like I don’t expect anyone to understand the venom in my heart for rebels in general I don’t expect to understand the stories of their lives
@gopack2k I don’t want folks to insult my intelligence but let switch places and u go thru my life, the hands of a child burying the bodies of her father and brother. So please people we are all hurt no need for name calling
@MINGLINGification i wasnt insulting your intelligence, i simply said that your comment was impossible to comprehend because you used no grammar. i still don't know what you were trying to say
@MINGLINGification no name calling man. I cannot begin to comprehend your loss, and i am sorry for it. But you have to recognize that this man did not kill anyone willingly, he was child. Same concept as Hitler Youth, children who are brainwashed at a young age accept what they are instructed to do.
@MINGLINGification i console you for your losses, i truly do. but you have to recognize that children are manipulated, they don't comprehend what they are doing. Your ignorance to the facts of child soldiers offends me. They drug child soldiers, and "brainwash" them. You claim that he isn't a victim of the war? You need to open your eyes.
@mrabdallahaldashti, I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
@MINGLINGification of course, i agree with you. because yes, the child soldiers were victims, and those victims instilled further violence that was encouraged, thus creating more victims (ordinary civilians)
@mrabdallahaldashti: I can’t express what I have to say in 500character but I do know that we are all victims yeah they were victims too but place, time and story heard through many family member who were soldiers tells me that there were opportunity for them to save lives and escape themselves. But just like I don’t expect anyone to understand the venom in my heart for rebels in general I don’t expect to understand the stories of their lives.
@mrabdallahaldashti I don’t want folks to insult my intelligence but let switch places and u go thru my life, the hands of a child burying the bodies of her father and brother. So please people we are all hurt no need for name calling
I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
This guy is amazing there is nothing but truth in his words. My brother I know you probably wont read these comments, but I can say that I have nothing bu admiration for you. People like you are people who change the world.
Its hard to believe this guy DID commit the atrocities that are described in the book. It must've taken a TREMENDOUS effort on his part to come back into society.
WHO CARES..... NO outsiders should INTERVENE.. This is a civil war within that country... not US, UK or even the UNs job to do anything..... All the food, medical supplies, and other things are wasted onto another world that is out our jursdiction... Then WE ASK WHY WE ARE IN HUGE DEBT BACK HOME????
@ajaykeer23939 . alright. if the united states broke out into a civil war, and you were a child (or had kids) that had to fight in the war - would you be okay if other countries left all of us alone? Sometimes the right thing to do isn't always the easy thing to do. But then again, who is anybody to judge right and wrong? We can only hope we are doing something correctly.
im actually reading his book in class right now and it has captured my attention so much i've started to help the children... i am now involved in the Gulu Walk ....
Ishmael came to my high school to talk, and it was amazing. I was fortunate to get my book autographed and my picture with him, and he is a very nice person.
@babw12... Hi, My name is Steph Kollasch and I am the Social Justice Coordinator at my school, Clarke University in Dubuque, IA. I was wondering if you know how your school was able to get ahold of Ishmeal Beah and have him come speak. I am planning on having a Child Soldiers Awareness Weak next year and I would LOVE to get him to come speak for us! If you could let me know anything that you know that would be awesome!
@stephaniekollasch Hi! I believe my teacher contacted the CSI (Child Soldiers Inititive) and she somehow got him to come. Sometimes schools have fundraisers for CSI and which ever school raises the most money will get a guest speaker. This is all I know, so I'd say contact CSI and get more information :)
I finishied this book a week ago but its story still remains in my heart. It sometimes makes me sad and to think what the meaning of life is which probably most people often think. I personally admire his courage to confess of his war memory, face it and continue his new life. Wish u a good luck in ur life Ishmael.
It's amazing after reading his book to see and hear him speak. You look at this pleasant, articulate young-man and then read passages of him shooting prisoners in the feet and letting them suffer all day and then finally shooting them in the head and just an amazing contradiction. Wonderful book--very spell-binding.
@Bruinsfan54 im pretty sure it was the RUF that used the child soldiers to fight against the 'corrupt' army, not the other way around. the army was a government thing and they wouldnt use children (not legally anyway). ill watch the interview now, in case im proven wrong. but thats what i thought was what happened
its crazy thinking that the book isnt fiction and the person speaking in the video is actually the same person to have gone through it. i am humbled. Respect.
@NitroRhino You don't know it isn't fiction. I don't doubt that the essence of the book is factual, ie, he was displaced and his family is thought to be dead, he fought for a period of time on the side of the army and was involved in and witnessed alot of violence, UNICEF negotiated his release, ect. But I would not be too quick to believe all the details without seeing evidence.
liked the book overall. i thought it was very well done but the ending was disappointing with so much un answered. for instance what ended up happening to esther? i wished they would have stayed in touch considering she was the main reason he changed back to his old self. overall though liked the book
@EdwardIVV- Its Really Understandable That You Believe Alot Of It Is Fictional, But As A Sierra Leonian, Who Experienced The Same War As This Dude, I Can Tell You now That Everything Written Was True, && I Infact Have Relatives Who Have Even Worse Stories. This Was Real Life, Regretfully.
Ishmael was probably recruited as a solider and probably did see some horrific things living in Africa but his book is mostly historical fiction created to make his book more exciting and interesting to readers. Also, he probably wanted to draw attention to the conflict of child soldiers. Not saying he his a complete fake, but his book has many false things.
Other issues are that Ishmael said at checkpoints soldiers took 300 Leone's which was about 2 months pay. Actually $1 in US currency accumulates to 800 Leone's and 2 months worth of pay was around 1000's of Leone's. 300 Leone's could buy a pint of ice cream in Freetown around that time. His drastic killing of his family that happened just before he could see them has been identified to have never have happened and that no village existed between the two towns he was traveling between.
Also, his explanation of how far towns were apart is extremely inaccurate. In the book, he explains his journey to the town of Yal took a year of wondering by himself and with boys he found and was around 400k when the town were actually 1k away from each other and took only a day of easy road travel. Also, no one can find the rehabilitation center he describes in the story and the fight that took place at the UNICEF place never happened because it would have been a big issue in UNICEF records.
I'm just saying that is credibility is doubtful and that a lot of this book is historical fiction. Other boys from the Sierra Leone have said that no boy solider experienced the things that he said he experienced. He said he first experienced war when his village was attacked at age 13. That village in real life was not attacked until he was really 15, meaning that Ishmael was really only in the war for about 2 months which was enough for basic training.
I'm reading his book now, for a summer reading thing for school. It is so sad. Yet the detail he tells is amazing! I can't imagine myself going through what he went through. It is one of the best books i've read! It's crazy that he had gone through that at such a young age. He is truly an amazing individual.
He's a very good speaker..
binzsta86 5 days ago
His last point is the most profound." When people are educated about it they change their views." The glorification of violence is inevitable, yet education can, perhaps, provide reasonable limits on a person's desire to perpetuate it.
JeremyWhiteish 2 weeks ago
Ishmael Beah is my Hero!!!!!!!
deathdoom88 2 weeks ago
@leilaniroxx123 How do you think Ishmael would respond to your idea of putting those who disliked this in his shoes?
shipshunginthesky 1 month ago
thers dislikes? wtf...u ppl are crazy...this is a great book and ishmael had terrible times a boy soldier....maybe we should put u in his position!
leilaniroxx123 1 month ago
ishmeal beach is something amazing and his book is a unforgettable of epic of moral courage and human endurance i just loved it:)
solluz1000 1 month ago in playlist Favorite videos
good questions
xblchad 1 month ago
It's amazing to see these comments below, insulting such a poor man. But Somehow, I understand it helps these people feel better about themselves
glitchuser4 1 month ago
I was once a child soldier, then I took an arrow in the knee
Ozone2345 1 month ago
@Ozone2345 that's messed up.....but its funny
Frolife2 1 month ago
@Ozone2345 you took an unfunny joke and made it even less funny, you deserve a medal
CerealBro 1 week ago
One of the greatest memoirs ever. Many blessings, Ishmael.
lotsamox10 2 months ago
I read his book and loved it! May peace be upon Ishmael Beah.
BayAreaOrBust 2 months ago 2
military use of children ---> infantry
devster117 2 months ago
@devster117 lmao!!!
iTrollThis 2 months ago
that book is A-M-A-Z-I-NG!!
gynellerox 2 months ago
BERT! :D
smithcory5 2 months ago
I absolutely love the book. We're reading it right now (:
brittanyily420 2 months ago
@brittanyily420 guro
SuperGK23 2 months ago
@SuperGK23 nippppoooeee
brittanyily420 2 months ago
laugh at 7:27 is a little weird
goodnewsfpwlbn 2 months ago
im readin dis in my class lol its awesum!
teabagking101 3 months ago
For a couple minutes i forgot the advertisment was an advertisment
Mschuchii333 3 months ago
i am almost finest with his book its so good
chicityjoka 3 months ago
love the book
dr00p42 3 months ago
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Onaga69 3 months ago
why are there dislikes this is sad why would you dislike
rkimber23 3 months ago
@rkimber23 maybe there disliking what he went through??? Ever think of that???
Onaga69 3 months ago
@Onaga69 nop only you would do that
rkimber23 3 months ago
When will the world actually believe these things happen
JonLewisFallows 4 months ago
Im Reading His Book In Class, His Story Is Amazing!
tonydelk08 4 months ago 3
@Sexynini93 i just read this book and im in 10th grade... it is a great book but very heart breaking & very detailed about the killings & all the differnt things he saw during the war.
pforparis1 4 months ago
So strong.
TheMightyNirate 4 months ago
i enjoyed reading this and i'm sure my entire school enjoyed it too, hope to read and meet more writters and people like him in the future
harrybeast01 4 months ago
:D
dj90smith 5 months ago
He's a very good speaker. He knows how to articulate himself well.
Jayrock37343 5 months ago 2
@Jayrock37343 I agree. I really enjoyed listening to him.
yaddlet 5 months ago
read his book in junior high, it was probably the best book i ever read cause i knew it was his reality. his story made a huge impact on my outlook at that age
ShaneThompson94 5 months ago
he came to my school
mrcraigjunior 5 months ago
Reading this for my required summer reading, and I have to say, I really couldn't ask for a better book to do an assignment on. It is powerful, horrifying, sad, and entertaining. It is simply "un-putdownable".
Dgamer21 5 months ago
this is probably the first book that i enjoyed reading
tuterrorcarlosba 5 months ago
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I wrote a song inspired by this man, and I used dialogue from this very interview in the song! Listen to it on our facebook page:
facebook com/cnvythflm
drewbols 5 months ago
what a truly inspirational man
lilyislily 6 months ago
8 dislikers seriously !!
i think you people should go to sierra leone for the summer thn come post what experiance you you had from the trip--> and see how the Dislikes feel after wat you been through
8PRIINCE8 7 months ago
Love this interview..
twisted13itch 8 months ago
Well said. Thanks to ya brother for sharing. keep educating these wanna be thugs or so-called "gang bangers" that war n real voilence is nothin to be romanticize..I was in Sierra Leone n Liberia durin de wars n I tell ya stuff dat I experienced..are things that I'm still dealin with evn to this day..
MegaLadylove2012 8 months ago
I just read his book " a long way gone" i am truly amazed and inspired by him. I would love to someday meet him.
rimaababyy94 8 months ago
He's so eloquent too! Amazing guy, amazing life story.
geodesicks 8 months ago
8 people need to live the life of a child soldier and we'll see if they dislike this again..... BEAH = HERO !!!!!
zzidane93 8 months ago 31
anyone know where i could find the transcripts for this?
kalimac9 8 months ago
@kalimac9 .abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1968333.htm
twisted13itch 8 months ago
damn i know this story's true all these rappers claim they had it the hardest when the reality in africa its way worst
killaklown908123 8 months ago
@killaklown908123 There's no need to insult rappers, they provided inspiration for Beah, if you read the books.
nicknkub 7 months ago
This young man is a hero. I appreciate his candidness and his clear articulation of his story.
ayuprnkcller 8 months ago
This book is seriously amazing. This is actually the first book I've read in my english class that I enjoy. It's so hard to believe what he had to go through. If you haven't read it yet, do it.
TheXosphere 8 months ago
I was staring at this book on the bargin table at the barnes and noble today. I should have gotten it.
ShadowCrashed81 9 months ago
That book should be a movie.
ih8makinusernames 9 months ago 21
@ih8makinusernames watch the movie blood diamond, its the exact same era
Ty616AT 8 months ago 2
@ih8makinusernames check out blood diamond
97riman 1 month ago
I'm reading the book now for my english class. it takes a lot to get through what he's gone through and be able to share it with everyone
Luvcomedy998 9 months ago
I just fininshed reading his book and its ready amazing, it made me to be strong and live with what I've witness as a child. Thanks to him for writing this book.
naimaaf1 9 months ago
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haha i scribbled all over ur book in pen nigger. how was that brownbrown btw?
1612dtm 9 months ago
@1612dtm
What the hell is wrong with you?
You need to wake up, us white men have had it easy, this man has made a life for himself from the most impossible situation. he deserves respect.
gireagle 8 months ago 5
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@1612dtm
get real man why dont you go live the life of a child solider and see how you like it
rkimber23 2 months ago
Respond to this video... get real man a go and live the life of a child solider see how you like it
rkimber23 2 months ago
8 dislikes
those dislike are probably rich kid that never got into
shit in their life
ThreesSpray 9 months ago 2
@ThreesSpray Or maybe poor kids who are too uneducated to really fathom what happened. What I said I do not believe but do not stereotype on who gave the dislikes to this video it is very bias and untrue. Just enjoy the book and the interview because Ishmael Beah is an amazing person.
xxjash100xx 8 months ago
His book was amazing, I could never go through what he went through. He is so inspiring, and I wish he would come speak somewhere near me. He is so strong, and he amazes me.
gymnastchica154 9 months ago 2
this man is an inspiration to all of us
ALFfan1 9 months ago
he took rappers to sierra leone DAMN
killuminati63 9 months ago
read a long way gone
gabbanellichris 10 months ago
Respect.
StudMuffinJohnny 10 months ago
i just finished reading this book in english class and it was AMAZING!!!
jkploughman12 10 months ago
I actually own this book its AMAZING
dudee58 10 months ago
i am so amazed how he survived a war and wrote a book about it. The things in the book were sooo unrealistic and yet this really happened.
Danny2sp 10 months ago
He spouts nothing but humility, respect, intelligence, and sincerity. Beah is a true inspiration.
Aslanistheshiz 10 months ago
This Book, is so fantastic! It was a true story that I actually found interesting and never wanted to end. I had so many emotions while reading this book! Ishmael Beah, you are an amazing writer!
kissafrog101 10 months ago
you should read What will my mother say by dympna ugwu oju is shows about the ibo culture
taylarb1 10 months ago
- im reading this book right now & its hard for me to put it down , its heartbreaking & filled with supense .. he is soo cute :)
CreoleDollx 10 months ago
I just recently read that book.
and waaaawaaw ISHMAEL YOU ARE MY NEW INSPIRATION
maxieyellowbobpants 10 months ago
Good thing they didn't get to the core of the problem.
Finallythankyou 10 months ago
i hate this world we live in as humans, we are all brothers and sisters, why? just why do we kill, rape, beat, and steal from each other? people talk about hell, and how its the most horrible place. no, this world we live in is the most horrible place.
bulldogrj5020 11 months ago 3
@bulldogrj5020 wise words... Im happy to find more than trolls on youtube
druusky 10 months ago
My respects to this remarkable man. He is my inspiration
proSniper098 11 months ago 3
Read it, loved it, respect him..
IamJordanRDrums 11 months ago 46
Ishmael is my hero
SuperBonerrific 11 months ago 3
what is the book called? any one no
himexican801 11 months ago
@himexican801 Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
blkhauck 11 months ago
@himexican801 A Long Way Gone
babw12 11 months ago
dang man yur a tough guy im writting a report on you at
school
himexican801 11 months ago
The sad thing is that most often the commanders, the people who recruit child soldiers, were child soldiers themselves at some point. That place is downright brutal.
mew6112 11 months ago
HE CAME TO OUR HIGH SCHOOL :D Talked to me in person, signed the book for me. Charming person, tough past. RESPECT!
chargers250 11 months ago
He's very intelligent. That definitely helped to keep him alive :)
Runny452 11 months ago
to this day, since i first read this book, to this very moment, Ishmael beah is 1 of the most inspiring people i've ever read about or listened to..
MyCrimsonTearsFall 1 year ago
I met him today, he came to our school for a special presentation. It was amazing for once our whole grade paid attention not even one whisper through-out the audience. He signed my book.
fncrNYC 1 year ago
My class is reading his "A Long Way Gone" and it is seriously hard to believe everything is real... but the reality that it is actually real is just... mind-blowing. Great book and amazing details. His words are so moving.
Queenminny26 1 year ago
One of the best and most emotional books I have ever read
raumfd613 1 year ago
2:45
MonicaJosie18 1 year ago
it's really cool to actualy see him after just finishing the book. i'm glad he didnt forget because by telling his story it's changed a lot of people's persectives on the world. we all need to know these things so we can stop them.
omarskats3000 1 year ago
i recently finished his book.
his story has changed my life completely. i now have a different perspective on every choice i make. this is a true hero right here.
emisneed6 1 year ago
oooooh You pple have no idea especially since most of what happen during the war didnt happen to u or ur family...Forgiviness is hard but i see problem when the rebels that hurt soo many pple r been glorify..He shldn't b the ones tell the story the vicitims shld, he shldn't b the one that has the face the vicitims shld, u all here seem to care about the fact that he has rehabilited back into society ..But what about my dad wat abt my brother wat about my pains RIP WHAT ABT ALL THE PPLE THEY HURT
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification
"If you don't like someone's story, write your own." - Chinua Achebe.
MissAsaju 1 year ago
@MissAsaju True
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
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@MINGLINGification read the book.
liam69love 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification you should try grammar sometime, but i think you said he wasn't a victim???
gopack2k 1 year ago
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@gopack2k I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification Is simply ' the victim have victims too..Meaning even though they were victim they end up been the source of a lot of pple pain~ I don't want to argue about this so this is all from me~
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
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@gopack2k I can’t express what I have to say in 500character but I do know that we are all victims yeah they were victims too but place, time and story heard through many family member who were soldiers tells me that there were opportunity for them to save lives and escape themselves. But just like I don’t expect anyone to understand the venom in my heart for rebels in general I don’t expect to understand the stories of their lives
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@gopack2k I don’t want folks to insult my intelligence but let switch places and u go thru my life, the hands of a child burying the bodies of her father and brother. So please people we are all hurt no need for name calling
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification i wasnt insulting your intelligence, i simply said that your comment was impossible to comprehend because you used no grammar. i still don't know what you were trying to say
gopack2k 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification no name calling man. I cannot begin to comprehend your loss, and i am sorry for it. But you have to recognize that this man did not kill anyone willingly, he was child. Same concept as Hitler Youth, children who are brainwashed at a young age accept what they are instructed to do.
mrabdallahaldashti 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification i console you for your losses, i truly do. but you have to recognize that children are manipulated, they don't comprehend what they are doing. Your ignorance to the facts of child soldiers offends me. They drug child soldiers, and "brainwash" them. You claim that he isn't a victim of the war? You need to open your eyes.
mrabdallahaldashti 1 year ago
@mrabdallahaldashti, I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@MINGLINGification of course, i agree with you. because yes, the child soldiers were victims, and those victims instilled further violence that was encouraged, thus creating more victims (ordinary civilians)
mrabdallahaldashti 1 year ago
@mrabdallahaldashti: I can’t express what I have to say in 500character but I do know that we are all victims yeah they were victims too but place, time and story heard through many family member who were soldiers tells me that there were opportunity for them to save lives and escape themselves. But just like I don’t expect anyone to understand the venom in my heart for rebels in general I don’t expect to understand the stories of their lives.
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
@mrabdallahaldashti I don’t want folks to insult my intelligence but let switch places and u go thru my life, the hands of a child burying the bodies of her father and brother. So please people we are all hurt no need for name calling
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
I see how many misunderstood my comment for what i said made sense to me n only me. What i was trying to say was addressing the 'victims of the child soldiers' Not disputing that he wasn't a victim, no way, most of the child soldiers were victims themselves before they became an able fighting force. Granted they were given drugs but been that i have over 4cousins that were abducted given drugs as well their comes a time when you stop been a victim and took on able force
MINGLINGification 1 year ago
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MINGLINGification 1 year ago
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MINGLINGification 1 year ago
hes so mild and has a great oratory prowess.
amazing what that man did in his previous life and how he changed into the mild, soft spoken guy he is now.
can you look at him and imagine him shooting someone? i cant
davidyee 1 year ago 2
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@davidyee As a kid you don't know right or wrong.
DavidTheCatholic 1 year ago
im truly thankful for everything after reading the boook!
it was amazing and i thank God for allowing him to tell us his story<3
27hollaback 1 year ago
7? 7? huh?
Sumen91 1 year ago
I reading his book now...its crazy
Future0331 1 year ago
This guy is amazing there is nothing but truth in his words. My brother I know you probably wont read these comments, but I can say that I have nothing bu admiration for you. People like you are people who change the world.
sweetdeath200 1 year ago
ishmael, you have forever changed my life. you are my favorite person in the entire world <3
AliviaBreann 1 year ago
0:01 to skip the ad
zaplord89 1 year ago
Its hard to believe this guy DID commit the atrocities that are described in the book. It must've taken a TREMENDOUS effort on his part to come back into society.
HAN56HAN 1 year ago
respect.....greetings from serbia
savagestefanovic 1 year ago
WHO CARES..... NO outsiders should INTERVENE.. This is a civil war within that country... not US, UK or even the UNs job to do anything..... All the food, medical supplies, and other things are wasted onto another world that is out our jursdiction... Then WE ASK WHY WE ARE IN HUGE DEBT BACK HOME????
ajaykeer23939 1 year ago
@ajaykeer23939 I forgot that apparently YOU can put a price on a human life.
acdcben96 1 year ago
@ajaykeer23939 . alright. if the united states broke out into a civil war, and you were a child (or had kids) that had to fight in the war - would you be okay if other countries left all of us alone? Sometimes the right thing to do isn't always the easy thing to do. But then again, who is anybody to judge right and wrong? We can only hope we are doing something correctly.
imUntraceable 1 year ago
im actually reading his book in class right now and it has captured my attention so much i've started to help the children... i am now involved in the Gulu Walk ....
sexybitch0120 1 year ago 3
Ishmael came to my high school to talk, and it was amazing. I was fortunate to get my book autographed and my picture with him, and he is a very nice person.
babw12 1 year ago 57
@babw12 Lucky :) i would love to meet Ishmael in person..
NailyNevarez 1 year ago
@babw12 He came to your high school? Wow, that is amazing :)
Runny452 11 months ago
@babw12... Hi, My name is Steph Kollasch and I am the Social Justice Coordinator at my school, Clarke University in Dubuque, IA. I was wondering if you know how your school was able to get ahold of Ishmeal Beah and have him come speak. I am planning on having a Child Soldiers Awareness Weak next year and I would LOVE to get him to come speak for us! If you could let me know anything that you know that would be awesome!
stephaniekollasch 11 months ago
@stephaniekollasch Hi! I believe my teacher contacted the CSI (Child Soldiers Inititive) and she somehow got him to come. Sometimes schools have fundraisers for CSI and which ever school raises the most money will get a guest speaker. This is all I know, so I'd say contact CSI and get more information :)
babw12 11 months ago
@babw12
Ismael coming to my school this wednesday 06/1/11 at South Plantation High. Hope i can manage to get an autograph too. :D
dragonfistX200 8 months ago 3
Yeah this book is one of the best novels I've ever read and I am a person who only reads the books that I'm suppose to in school.
NeilTo30 1 year ago
I finishied this book a week ago but its story still remains in my heart. It sometimes makes me sad and to think what the meaning of life is which probably most people often think. I personally admire his courage to confess of his war memory, face it and continue his new life. Wish u a good luck in ur life Ishmael.
cheoljunge 1 year ago
It's amazing after reading his book to see and hear him speak. You look at this pleasant, articulate young-man and then read passages of him shooting prisoners in the feet and letting them suffer all day and then finally shooting them in the head and just an amazing contradiction. Wonderful book--very spell-binding.
marvchomer 1 year ago
good luck
Mohamedjawara 1 year ago
I'm reading this book right now and its really good.
Flames2024 1 year ago
..have to get this book..it has to be captivating,because just in the way he speaks of the time he spent there is captivating..
dbeater1 1 year ago
I Love The Book I Couldn't Live Without A Family
MayoYoung09 1 year ago
such an eloquent speaker.. every sentence has meaning, no rambling. thoughtful, succinct but conveying so much.
MightyMouse350 1 year ago 4
Seven people are related to kids who died as a child soldier.
spreaditwide13 1 year ago
one of2 books i actually ever enjoyed
Swordx320 1 year ago
ive read this book but forgotten what side he was on, was he in the army or in ruf??
Bruinsfan54 1 year ago
@Bruinsfan54 the army.
xeverus 1 year ago
@Bruinsfan54 he was in the army
jharr139 1 year ago
@Bruinsfan54 the army
jharr139 1 year ago
@Bruinsfan54 im pretty sure it was the RUF that used the child soldiers to fight against the 'corrupt' army, not the other way around. the army was a government thing and they wouldnt use children (not legally anyway). ill watch the interview now, in case im proven wrong. but thats what i thought was what happened
TheSmithy0314 1 year ago
@TheSmithy0314 haha i take that back, turns out the government uses plenty of children. sorry man
TheSmithy0314 1 year ago
its crazy thinking that the book isnt fiction and the person speaking in the video is actually the same person to have gone through it. i am humbled. Respect.
NitroRhino 1 year ago 75
@NitroRhino You don't know it isn't fiction. I don't doubt that the essence of the book is factual, ie, he was displaced and his family is thought to be dead, he fought for a period of time on the side of the army and was involved in and witnessed alot of violence, UNICEF negotiated his release, ect. But I would not be too quick to believe all the details without seeing evidence.
Abu7929 1 year ago
liked the book overall. i thought it was very well done but the ending was disappointing with so much un answered. for instance what ended up happening to esther? i wished they would have stayed in touch considering she was the main reason he changed back to his old self. overall though liked the book
hoffd07 1 year ago
omg this book is amazing
akalilherrb 1 year ago
@EdwardIVV- Its Really Understandable That You Believe Alot Of It Is Fictional, But As A Sierra Leonian, Who Experienced The Same War As This Dude, I Can Tell You now That Everything Written Was True, && I Infact Have Relatives Who Have Even Worse Stories. This Was Real Life, Regretfully.
Bintonceful 1 year ago
He looks like a young Jackson.....I want to say Jermaine.
godswordsheal 1 year ago
im reading the book and it is extremely exellent so far, bet im just wondering, what the heck is rambo?
PotterWatchFan 1 year ago
@PotterWatchFan the movies
th3gusbus777 1 year ago
@th3gusbus777 well i figured that out for my self, but i mean wats it about?
PotterWatchFan 1 year ago
@PotterWatchFan some guy killing a bunch of people. i forgot what for though
th3gusbus777 1 year ago
@th3gusbus777 some civil war going on in uganda i think
piratesweatydog 1 year ago
@PotterWatchFan its a movie, look it up
xeverus 1 year ago
Ishmael was probably recruited as a solider and probably did see some horrific things living in Africa but his book is mostly historical fiction created to make his book more exciting and interesting to readers. Also, he probably wanted to draw attention to the conflict of child soldiers. Not saying he his a complete fake, but his book has many false things.
EdwardIVV 1 year ago
Other issues are that Ishmael said at checkpoints soldiers took 300 Leone's which was about 2 months pay. Actually $1 in US currency accumulates to 800 Leone's and 2 months worth of pay was around 1000's of Leone's. 300 Leone's could buy a pint of ice cream in Freetown around that time. His drastic killing of his family that happened just before he could see them has been identified to have never have happened and that no village existed between the two towns he was traveling between.
EdwardIVV 1 year ago
Also, his explanation of how far towns were apart is extremely inaccurate. In the book, he explains his journey to the town of Yal took a year of wondering by himself and with boys he found and was around 400k when the town were actually 1k away from each other and took only a day of easy road travel. Also, no one can find the rehabilitation center he describes in the story and the fight that took place at the UNICEF place never happened because it would have been a big issue in UNICEF records.
EdwardIVV 1 year ago
I'm just saying that is credibility is doubtful and that a lot of this book is historical fiction. Other boys from the Sierra Leone have said that no boy solider experienced the things that he said he experienced. He said he first experienced war when his village was attacked at age 13. That village in real life was not attacked until he was really 15, meaning that Ishmael was really only in the war for about 2 months which was enough for basic training.
EdwardIVV 1 year ago
Comment removed
nandamjammilzeira 1 year ago
Amazing book, I just finished it and I couldn't sleep after it..
I am really impressed, what a story..It is hard to imagine where he has been through..
Respect for where he is now in life.
sannesanne1991 1 year ago
This dude went through some shit man. I read his book a couple months ago. And I'm gonna read it again soon.
deenzilla 1 year ago
hear me out: best book i have ever read in my LIFE. i spent almost every spare minute of my time reading this book.
anineyearoldkilla 1 year ago
Excellent interview. Good interviewer. Good guest. Good rapport between them.
palutubevideos 1 year ago
I'm reading his book now, for a summer reading thing for school. It is so sad. Yet the detail he tells is amazing! I can't imagine myself going through what he went through. It is one of the best books i've read! It's crazy that he had gone through that at such a young age. He is truly an amazing individual.
StarGirl9467 1 year ago 2