A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

"This time we were a long way from Mattru Jong. A long way gone" (65).

Author (and memoir)

Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980. His memoir accounts the trials and journey as an orphan of the war, child solider, rehabilitation and eventual immigration to the United States.

'He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in political science. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO) at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and many other NGO panels on children affected by the war' (expert taken from his website).

Ishmael also created The Ishmael Beah Foundation to raise money to help reintegrate and rehabilitate child soldiers.

He is an absolutely incredible young man to listen to and watch. In every interview he emphasizes the concept of hope and regaining humanity. You can watch him on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or on Eye to Eye with Katie Couric. Google his name and you will find loads more, totally worth every second.

Classroom

I recommend watching or listening to any interview, it really enhances the experience of reading the book. After reading through the memoir students can actually hear and see Ishmael as he furhter explains main themes. In several interviews Ishmael discusses the idea of family structure and how this played a huge part in his attachment to the army. He also discusses the abuse of drugs and the use propaganda on both sides (rebel and army) to recruit and brainwash vulnerable boys. But, he always stresses HOPE: even in the most horrendously brutal circumstances hope can overcome and flourish. I don't think I would show any videos until after finishing the memoir. I would want the students to develop their own images of Ishmael's journey- make it more personal (interviews like the one with Katie Couric show clips of soldiers in Africa today).

Afterward the interviews could be used as jumping off points to delve further into various themes and controversial issues. When I researched different lessons for this text the majority of the results centered around guided questions and prompts teachers could use for discussions. While the questions were helpful I think this text opens doors to a ton of different avenues: here are some of my relatively developed ideas-

Storytelling plays a huge part in the text. Ishmael is constantly recalling stories he heard from relatives; his grandmother, grandfather, father and friends. One of the boys, Musa, in the second group Ishmael travels with is referred to as the storyteller. Musa entertains the boys with old fables and stories of his daily adventures in the military village.

• Students can discuss the importance of storytelling in different cultures. Ishmael's culture places importance on oral tradition. PBS has a nice website with lesson plans and activities regarding traditional African Storytelling. The website has various links for teachers and students.
• Students can examine stories in their own lives, maybe stories that are part of a tradition intheir families.They can look at the role story telling plays in their families and retell the stories for the class. Students can share their stories through digital storytelling. There are several free websites for teachers and students. Digital stories are short multi-media stories that students can create and then upload onto websites or just play for the class. The Story Corps is an excellent website students and teachers can explore for examples and guidelines. Students can create multimedia videos or upload audio. This would be an excellent way to students to explore creative writing using vivid and concise details- and expand on typical ways of expression. Students are forced to move beyond conventional writing.

Across the curriculum lessons could definitely be incorporated with this text.

• ELA teachers could work with Social Studies teachers to create lessons that examine the chaos and war ensuing in Sierra Leone. The hardships immigrants face when moving to different countries, especially after experiencing such gruesome realities like war.
• Music teachers could develop lessons on the history of reggae music and the significance of music in different cultures.

Spoken Word can also find a place in curriculum surrounding this text. Ishmael and his friends love American hip-hop and rap. They create dances to the songs, mime the words, and even write their own lyrics. Eventually the cassettes become Ishmael's most cherished (and only) possession. During his rehabilitation Esther gives Ishmael a pad of paper and pen- encouraging him to write song lyrics. The rap songs become a huge part of Ishmael's identity.

• Students are CONSTANTLY listening to MP3 players, signing, and evening making beats inclass. So why not put focus this into something productive for class? They can create poetry!Students can work through the process of writing rough drafts, peer editing, and finally presenting their masterpieces. They could work in groups even if they wanted to give the poem the rap flare and feel. I am absolutely hooked on spoken word after work-shopping with Verbal Blend and performing in class. Their poems could focus on themes of the text or personal connections/responses. For mini-lessons students could take quotes or passages from the text (or articles about relevant concepts such as boy soldiers) and create poems using different techniques from the Composing Process. One of my favorites: students take a passage, read over once, then go through and black out words or sentences that seem insignificant. When they are done the students have a poem. This would be a great to show students that poetry is flexible and multi faceted.

I think there are an abundance of ways to use this text in the classroom. These are just a few I came up with while reading the text, and could see myself incorporating.

Essential Questions (okay so there may be a few questions within each question...)

1) The memoir is told from the perspective of 12 year old Ishmael: ignorant of war and politics, frightened, confused and vulnerable. In an interview Ishmael said he told the story from this perspective on purpose. At times the story jumps around and suddenly the reader is in a new village or bombarded by rebels or in the middle of brawl. At the end of the story (unless educated otherwise) the reader is left unsure of the purpose of the war and fighting. Does this enhance or hinder the story? If so how? Do student's need certain pieces of information before starting the story (front loading of history)? Why does Ishmael write from this perspective on purpose?

2) African's refer to storytelling as the heart's son. There are several instances of storytelling in the text, and the memoir itself is Ishmael's heart's son. Why are stories so significant to Ishmael and his friends? Several times Ishmael refers back to stories told by relatives, and he seems to carry them in his heart. Are the stories survival tools? What classifies as storytelling? Does Ishmael find such a strong connection with the rap music because of the stories told through lyrics? Does he feel the same way about the Shakespeare monologues?

3) Ishmael's transition into a member of the army appears much easier than his rehabilitation. What does this say about humanity? How easily can we lose our identities in times of crisis? What is necessary to survive? How can someone regain their humanity, forgive, and muster the strength to move forward? What about Ishmael's rehabilitation do you agree or disagree with? Ishmael refers to this part of his journey as his second life, is a second life always possible?