The emotions I experienced while reading the book

A Long Way Gone is a very emotional book. While reading it I experienced many deep emotions that made me feel as if I was watching this story as it took place rather than just reading about it now. I now see the world differently from reading this book.

The first emotion I felt was a deep sadness. At points it would overwehlm me and I would have to stop reading. I was just so overwhelmed with grief and pity for the people in this book, that I just needed to stop and take a moment to grieve them. For example, when Ishmael's family all died, I cried and had to stop reading.The things Ishmeal and all the people affected by the war went through were so horrifying. They were forced to deal with, and participate in so many things that no one, young or old, should have to. These people had to deal with losing their homes and loved ones, with starvation and dehydration, and with the constant fear of death. The young boys had to deal with the fear that they may be forced to become a child soldier, and other boys did actually have to deal with being a child soldier. The violence that came from this war was so horrible that it literally brought me to tears. I never knew people were capable of doing such horrible, unhuman things. Both sides, the rebels (RUF) and the government army, committed many acts of cruelty that can never be justified. An example of some of the cruelties in this book is when Ishmael's squad (government army) forced some rebel prisoners to dig their own graves and then buried them alive; I felt sick to my stomach. However, the rebels were no better. An example of a cruelty by the rebels in this book is when the rebels locked people in their houses and burned them along with the house. When the war reached Ishmael again when he was living with his uncle and new family I was so sad and upset because he had worked so hard to regain his life and now there was the possibility that he might be forced to become a soldier again. I feel very sad about everything that happened to Ishmael, his family, his friends and the people of Sierra Leone.

The second emotion I felt was gratitude. After reading this book, I was so grateful for everything I have. I am so thankful that I will never have to go through what the people in this book went through. I do not think I have ever felt so grateful and lucky in my life, as I did after reading this book. I am very grateful that I will never have to witness such extreme acts of cruelty and violence, that I will always have food, water, family, friends and a place to live. I wish I could say the same for the people of Sierra Leone, but I cannot. This book has really changed how I see things now. I will now always be grateful for what I have, because it is a lot more than what the people in this book and other people around the world have.

The third emotion I felt was guilt. I take so many things for granted every day in my life, while the people in this book take nothing for granted even though they have so little. I complain about so many things that are so tiny and inconsequential to the problems Ishmael and others were faced with in this book. For example, I complain if my mom is making something for dinner that I am not particularily fond of, but in this book Ishmael was grateful for any food he recieved because he was always starving. After reading about how much Ishmael suffered in this book I felt unbelievably guilty about complaining about things in my life. Compared to the things Ishmael faced, such as losing his family, witnessing acts of cruelty, having no place to live, starving, possibilty of death and losing his humanity while he was a child soldier, my problems are like a walk in the park.

Lastly, there were times when I felt some happiness while reading this book. It made me happy when Ishmael and some other boys were taken out of the war and put into a rehabilitation centre so that they could have chance at a new life. Reading about how much the staff at the rehabilitation centres and the people involved with groups such as UNICEF cared about helping Ishmael and the other boys get rehabilitated made me very happy. I was happy that Ishmael and the other boys who had been child soldiers were going to get a second chance at life. I was also really glad when Ishmael met Esther because she really cared about him and I think she was really the one who helped Ishmael heal and forgive himself. When Ishmael found out he had a living relative he can live with after his treatment was done, I was really happy for Ishmael because he could have a family again. When the war reached him again, and he ran away to Guinea and from there was going to go to New York to live with Laura, I was really happy and proud of him for running away from the war and trying to keep his humanity rather than just staying and becoming a soldier again.