An amazing memoir of Ishmael's experience in the Sierra Leone Civil War. He shares how he lost his village and family all in the same day, became a part of the Army fighting against the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) as a 13 year old, was saved and rehabilitated by UNICEF and eventually escapes Sierra Leone and leaves the battle behind him to begin a new life.
I will be traveling to Sierra Leone in a few months and this was assigned reading before the mission trip. I have new insight on what child soldiers go through, how they are brought into their new "Army Family", trained, drugged and prepared for battle against those who destroyed their families. This is a heart wrenching story of loss, the scars of war, and finally redemption and safety. I am so proud of Ishmael's determination to begin again all the while bringing awareness to the world about child soldiers.
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