In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Beah shares his harrowing experience as a child growing up in Sierra Leone. He triumphs through many changes and obstacles in his book. The most notable of which is the way he transitions from a child soldier to a functioning person in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the book Beah talks about his simple, uninterrupted life as a child growing up in Sierra Leone. “The morning we left for Mattru Jong, we loaded our backpacks with notebooks of lyrics we were working on and filled our pockets with tapes of rap albums.” This shows how simple and innocent he was before the world he knew caught fire and burned before him. He later says, "Every time I get a chance to look at the moon now, I still see those same images I saw when I was six, and it feels good to know that that part of my childhood is still ingrained in me." This is by far the most important quote in the book. It shows that despite everything he's been through, all the hardships he's experienced, he realizes that he's been robbed of his childhood experiences. About halfway through the book Beah bounces between shelters (ruined villages or areas) and is set up by the government army. . It is at this point in his story that he begins to break down and become trapped in the war against the rebels. Many horrible things happen to him at this stage of his sad story. One of those moments that stands out to me is when he writes “His Adam's apple gave way to the sharp knife, and I turned the bandit on the zigzag edge as I pulled him out. His eyes rolled up and looked me straight in the eye before suddenly stopping in a frightening look, as if taken by surprise.” (page 125) Killed a man at 12 years old. If that's not the definition of messed up, I don't know what is. At one point he also says: “We had been fighting for more than two years and killing had become a daily activity. I didn't feel sorry for anyone. My childhood passed without me realizing it and it seems like my heart has frozen. “(Page 126) Killing has become routine for Beah at this point. He was brainwashed into believing that doing so was normal and right when in reality the opposite was true. At the end of the book Beah is rehabilitated in a hospital and later becomes a spokesperson for UNICEF. Early on he says, "That night, as I sat on the porch listening to some kids discuss the volleyball game I missed, I tried to think about my childhood days, but it was impossible, as I started having flashbacks of That was the first time I cut a man's throat. The scene kept coming back to me like a bolt of lightning on a dark, rainy night." (pg.160) This shows that he is haunted by his past actions. He also writes “Leslie had told me that I needed to be “repatriated” and reintegrated into normal society.” (Page 178) This shows that he was successful in trying to adapt to a normal life. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayThe most amazing thing about Beah's story is how he returns to civilized society even after everything he's been through, he's done drugs, killed people and been shot at, now tries to help people in similar positions to himself when he was little. Try to help the world become a better place. This is admirable in my book. Even if the events were not 100% accurate, it still conveys the.