In July, the 1st Wednesday Reading Group has dicussed the book A long way gone written by Ishmael Beah.
In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope. From http://www.alongwaygone.com/
The reading group questioned it’s controversy over authorship detracted from authernticity.
The brighter section is covering UN rehabilitation.
Some members thought it was written quite dispassionately. It is surprising and upsetting to find how easily it was written, almost in 3rd person.
Some people were untouched by the violence described. Others found violence very disturbing.
General discussion about violence and bullying followed by the group. Most people would not recommend the book to others because of writing style and questions over whether the events all occurred, but it worth reading as an insight.
Some members couldn’t finish the reading.