http://www.alongwaygone.com/index.html
Here is one of the videos I made:
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
February 20, 2008
Wow! I cannot believe my book was so popular. I have designed a website for it that also includes reviews and videos about it. I have been interviewed for magazines like time, talk shows, and have also spoken at UN conferences. Laura is busy helping me balance my schedule and schoolwork. I have grown more comfortable talking about my life as a soldier, but there are some things I have only shared with Laura. I have decided to donate the proceeds from the book to various charities in Africa, in order to improve my country. I will post one or two of the videos on the blog, and the rest will be on my website. If you have any questions for me, feel free to post a comment. I am getting ready for a speaking tour in a week, so I may not post for a while. Thanks to all who have supported me on my journeys.
-Ishmael Beah-
October 13, 2007
If you want to buy my book, you can do so here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/long-way-gone-ishmaelbeah/1008037647?ean=9780374531263&itm=1&usri=a%2blong%2bway%2bgone%2bmemoirs%2bof%2ba%2bboy%2bsoldier
FYI, all the proceeds will go to charity, I just don’t know what one(s) yet.
July 6, 2007
An update on how I am doing. I love living with Laura. We have so much fun together, and she loves me like I am her own son. We often stay up late, telling each other stories from our past or that we have heard. Laura is one of the few people I opened up to about my years as a soldier. I get good grades at school, and I am a part of the hip-hop dance club. I also founded the Africa club. This is a club that researches issues in Africa, and tries to come up with innovative solutions. I share the best of these ideas with Laura, who passes them onto the UN. We also raise money and supplies for charities in Africa. We have supported rehab facilities for child soldiers, AIDS clinics, schools, well projects, and orphanages. One charity that I recently heard about and I am really excited for is Invisible Children. They are committed to ending child soldiering in Uganda. I am planning a major fundraiser for them that will involve my entire school district. If you are interested in donating, here is their website:
PS: My book will be out in a month!
May 7, 2007
After three months at the UN center, I finally got to go live with Laura. It felt so good to know that I now had a home I would never have to leave. She told me that I would be starting school soon. We went to visit the school, and I was so amazed. I had never seen a school so big, with electricity and computers. It even had a hip hop dance team. I couldn’t wait to start. About this time, I showed my notebook to Dr. Shu. He was very impressed, and asked me if I would like to possibly turn it into a book raising awareness of the war in Sierra Leone. I was flattered, and said I would. That was how my book, A Long Way Gone, started, and how I got to where I am today.
Jan 1, 2007
Before I could move in with Laura, she had to officially adopt me. In the meantime, I stayed at an UN center. There, I went to school, and met my therapist, Dr. Shu. Dr. Shu was from China, and he was a psychologist. He met with a group of us every other day. Most of us had been boy soldiers, or had lived in a war zone. For our first meeting, we shared our names and our stories. This was easier for me, because I had done this at the rehab center. Many of the boys had a hard time telling their stories, but they did. For most, it was a great relief. At the end of this session, Dr. Shu suggested we find a media to share our stories and feelings with. “Only be releasing the horrible things inside of you can you finally be healed,” he told us. Some of the boys turned to art, and some to music. After encouragement from Dr. Shu, I turned to writing. I began to tell my story in a notebook.
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