Journal Entry 1 by bearyfriend from Singapore, Singapore Singapore on Monday, June 11, 2007

Newly acquired book. It's a first-person account from someone who was being picked by the govt at the age of 13 as a child soldier to fight in the Sierra Leone Civil War, and how he came through this hell, survived and became a better man. TBR.

Backcover:

This is how wars are fought now: By Children, hopped up on drugs and wielding AK47s. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated there are some 300,000 child soldiers. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them... now twenty-six years old, Ismael tells a riveting story of how at the age of twelve in Sierra Leone, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognisable by violence. By thirteenth, he'd been picked up by the gov army, and, though at heart a gentle boy, found he was capable of truly terrible acts.

Read about Ishmael Beah here 

Journal Entry 2 by bearyfriend from Singapore, Singapore Singapore on Thursday, October 18, 2007

International Ring

This is a paperback edition! I'm going to start an Int'l Ring out of this, and the last reader will send the book back to me. Guidelines as usual. Make a JE when you receive the book, and read within a month - no longer. Make a JE saying what you thought of the book, and send it along to the next on waiting list. I'll be the last to read.

Lemme know your shipping pref. Thanks =)

Participants (Can Ship Anywhere)
1. MicheleReads - Ohio, US
2. Lauraloo29 - Alberta, Canada
3. Boomda181 - Ontario, Canada
4. CynthiaA - Ontario, Canada
5. Jinglefish - UK
6. Piemunga - NSW, Australia
7. Meexia - Singapore
8. Bearyfriend - Singapore <== Book is back home. RING ends
 

Journal Entry 3 by bearyfriend from Singapore, Singapore Singapore on Monday, October 22, 2007

Book travelling via Air Mail to the 1st reader. Hee...couldn't resist myself, and now finished reading, except the chronology of history which I'll delve into when book comes back to me. I may even go get the Blood Diamond to watch, then read again.

This memoir was told through the eyes of the author, and what he went through during the country's violence and unrests. He and some of his friends were being recruited into the Sierra Leone army base, and being psyched into believing that these military men were there to protect & help those who lost their family to the rebels' killings - "We are not like the rebels, those riffraffs who kill people for no reason. We kill them for the good and betterment of this country." These boys were being taught how to kill using bayonet, AK-47s and also under the influence of drugs they killed the "rebels" (boys of their own age), with only hatred and revenge in their eyes, seeing them as killers of their own parents & siblings.

Ishmael was lucky to be saved by UNICEF and came through all these hell and became a better man. I admired him for his courage to come out and confess about his killings. I hope he no longer has those nightmares and migraine which haunted him so much.

It would be nice if you could put a little note in the last pages of the book, so that I can read them when book comes back to me, know whose lives my book has touched, and where it has travelled. Thanks to all of you who participated in this ring. Cheers to good reading and sharing. 

Journal Entry 4 by MicheleReads from Cincinnati, Ohio USA on Sunday, November 18, 2007

The book arrived safe and sound, and I will read it and release it soon to the next reader in our bookring. Thank you for including me in the book ring, and for forgive my slight delay in journaling the book due to a family emergency. ( Thanks for your kind personal message, Bearyfriend, telling me "no worries" about journaling its arrival here.) Things are starting to look better as my mom healing from her heart attack, and the time I have in the hospital next to my mom's bedside provides for reading time. I am grateful to have a good book to read at a time like this.!I hope to pass it to the next reader by the end of the month.
MicheleReads 

Journal Entry 5 by MicheleReads from Cincinnati, Ohio USA on Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Thank you for sharing this wonderful book! Unfortunatley, because of family emergency I didn't get to finish it (my mom is still in the hospital to date, but is slowly making improvement) Gettng it in the mail as don't want to hold it up for the next reader. It is a book that I will pick up again at some point in the future. Sending it to LauraLoo29 tomorrow.
MicheleReads 

Journal Entry 6 by lauraloo29 from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Thursday, January 10, 2008

This book arrived safe and sound today. I have a couple of other small rings in front of it, but I will keep it moving. :) 

Journal Entry 7 by lauraloo29 from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Thursday, January 24, 2008

A heartbreaking story. What the world does to its children never ceases to amaze me. :( Well written. Thank you for sharing. This book will be on its way next week. 

Journal Entry 8 by boomda181 on Friday, February 01, 2008

Arrived in the mail today. Looking forward to this read! 

Journal Entry 9 by boomda181 on Monday, March 24, 2008

Wow, what an eloquent account of such a terrible, terrible tragedy. I think what I found the most upsetting about this book is that this is what is happening right now, in the 21st century in many places around the world. Thank you so very much Bearyfriend for sharing this moving memoir. I will be dropping this in the mail this week. 

Journal Entry 10 by CynthiaA from Brantford, Ontario Canada on Monday, April 28, 2008

I must have forgotten to journal this book's arrival, I apologize. I've had it a week or so. I am beginning it today with anticipation. 

Journal Entry 11 by CynthiaA from Brantford, Ontario Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2008

This was a very powerful book -- one that will stay with me for a very long time. I found it difficult to read in parts and I often had to set is aside to recover from its terrifying truths. Nonetheless, it is an important message that young Mr. Beah imparts and one that we best learn from. I do wish he'd carried on with his tale a bit farther than he did... I wanted to know how he got back into the US. Regardless, it was a fantastic book. Thanks Bearyfriend, for sharing it with me.

It will go into the post to the UK and to jinglefish tomorrow. 

Journal Entry 12 by Jinglefish from Woking, Surrey United Kingdom on Monday, July 07, 2008

This book has made it safe and sound to me today and couldn't have been better timed as I finished a ray only last night. Will start this tonight. Many thanks CynthiaA for forwarding to me. 

Journal Entry 13 by Jinglefish from Woking, Surrey United Kingdom on Saturday, July 12, 2008

Wow - what a read this turned out to be. Simple and straightforward in his delivery, Beah tells a truly dreadful truth about child soldiers - a subject we don't hear much about unless we particularly search it out. I think previous journal entries express my thoughts as well. I would add that I was unaware that drugs played such a significant part in the desensitising (sp?) process and I guess this dependency also meant that there would be no desertion even if the children (and one assumes men as well) were willing to take their chances to get away. I was grateful for the unnamed Shakespeare loving commander who recognised something an Beah and allowed his selection for release & rehabilitation - a trace of humanity left or a hope that the young boy who could quote Shakespeare as well would somehow survive, and tell the tale perhaps? Who knows, maybe it was just chance?....

Subsequent press reports have claimed that what Beah has written has discrepancies and that he could not have been a soldier for the amount of time claimed (Beah stands by what he has written) and for me, we can argue as much as we like about the time periods involved but by doing so we miss the simple and undeniable horrors about child soldiers in war ravished countries. If the politicians and people have been educated and the subject put on the agenda then all that I presume Ismael Beah set out to do has come to pass.

Thank you bearyfriend for the opportunity of reading this.

Have PM'd Piemunga for an address and will forward once I have it. 

Journal Entry 14 by Jinglefish from Woking, Surrey United Kingdom on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Posted air mail to Piemunga today now she has come back from her own travels. Hopefully it will arrive there soon. 

Journal Entry 15 by piemunga from Marrickville, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, July 31, 2008

thank you!! i have one and a half books to go before this one, but i'll be as quick as i can! 

Journal Entry 16 by piemunga from Marrickville, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, August 17, 2008

very moving and sad story, and so well written. i'd heard of child soldiers through the media previously. but never fully understood how it occurred. fascinting. 

Journal Entry 17 by meexia from Punchbowl, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, September 04, 2008

This arrived when I was on holiday. Thanks! 

Journal Entry 18 by meexia from Punchbowl, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, September 25, 2008

This book is a memoir of Ishmael Beah, an ex child soldier during wartime in Sierra Leone. His journey started when the rebels arrived at his village. He was chased from village to village by the war that spread further and further. The places he visited destroyed and his family and brothers killed. Until he met the government side who they called the army, and recruited as a soldier. The youngest of those child soldiers were 7 and 11 years old. They learnt how to shoot when they were not even strong enough to carry the guns.

About half of the book talks about Ishmael’s rehabilitation time. It is so sad that after all the effort and time to humanize the children, the war reached the cities nevertheless and a lot of them needed to go back to their old life. At the end Ishmael ran out of the country to Guinea, the neighbouring country of Sierra Leone. Here I felt that the book stopped almost abruptly, since I thought he was gonna go on until he’s safe in US. (Later on he ran to US with the help of his contacts he met when he went to US for UN conferences)

The story is told fluidly. I never felt it slow down. It’s a good read from beginning til the end. An eye opener for situations that we normally would never think about. And they do happen in some parts of the world. This is why I read memoirs and biographies.

Review also posted here

 

Journal Entry 19 by meexia at by mail, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Singapore on Friday, October 03, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (10/2/2008 UTC) at by mail, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Singapore

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Thanks so much bearyfriend for organizing this ring! Dropped this on the post on Thurs. The book is going home! :)
 

Journal Entry 20 by bearyfriend from Singapore, Singapore Singapore on Sunday, October 05, 2008

Home Sweet Home. Book finally came back after round of travels. Thanks to all of you who have make this ring a success. 

Journal Entry 21 by bearyfriend from Singapore, Singapore Singapore on Friday, January 30, 2009

Book is now with Ben. Had passed to him during CNY after watching Blood Diamond about Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone, how they were being used to dig up diamonds and kill. Going to watch again. Thanks to Lauraloo29 for the recommendation.

Update 5-Aug-09:- book is back with me.