Kaitlan Cobb- a long way gone

A memoir of a young boy in Sierra Leone, Africa. This autobiography follows the story of his life from when he was a young boy, to losing everything, becoming a child solider, and finding life after war. Ishmael Beah is like any young boy he has hobbies, interests, and dreams. He also faces the struggles of living in a split home. Ishmael relies heavily on his brother especially after the raiding of his home village and losing his parents. This memoir tells the experiences and life changing events that Ishmael went through and how being in war altered his view on life and his own people. This is a gripping image of what war truly is like and the after effects it causes. I think this would be a great book for a high school classroom. Especially if the teacher would like to teach on the themes of war, effects of war, different cultural societies, or even the differences of kids/teenagers lives based on where they live.