Chapter 1 & 2--A Long Way Gone

From reading the first two chapters of this book, I think this is going to be a very tough book to read and discuss. After hearing about Invisible Children and learning about the Lord's Resistance Army, I knew this situation was a very tough and tragic one. But I wasn't quite expecting all of the extra stuff this book discusses. I think that because this book is told by a boy soldier, the events and tragedies will be even more distinct and intense because we are getting all of his thoughts and his extra input about being there first hand. Some of the first observations I got from reading the first two chapters is how many connections there are in this book and Things Fall Apart. For instance, many things that were discussed in Things Fall Apart are also mentioned in this book. I thought this was interesting because Things Fall Apart took place a long, long time ago, and this book is more recent but they both have some of the same ideas, and Africa is somewhat the same. However, I'm a little confused and overwhelmed with all the places and people that have already been mentioned thus far in the novel. Because the author actually lived and experienced the things he is writing about, he really gets the setting and emotions right. For instance, when he was telling about seeing all the injured and dead people trying to get away from the mining areas, I felt like I was really there, and I felt the pain he felt. Also, I am already getting some eerie emotion about the story. The way Ishmael Beah describes everything creates the mood of people's lives during this period and it translates to the reader very well. I feel like Ishmael will be a easy person to relate to because he is just an average, every day kid doing the same childish things as many of us do (i.e. starting a rap group, dressing in what is supposed to be cool, etc.) who got stuck in a bad situtation. This is definitely going to be one of those books you will never forget. While reading, I was amazed at some of what I read. It is completely mind-boggling to me for an event like this to have gone on and still be going on. Even though, I know this book is going to be very disruptive and heart-wrenching, I am excited to see what happens to Ishmael and his family and watch his story progress. And I'm excited to see how he feels about living life in twenty first century America after living a childhood like he did.