Imagine having your whole life shift in a matter of a day. Imagine having everything stripped away from you: your family, your home, your childhood, and your friends. Its pretty unimaginable, isn't it? It wasn't for Ishmael Beah, who experienced such loss age the tender age of twelve. His parents, among with other people in his village were brutally murdered; these deaths were caused by the belligerent rebels in Sierra Leone. After being robbed of everything, Ishmael goes on to become a boy soldier. He is taught to be aggressive and show no mercy. He struggles to find himself in a pool deep with blood shed by those he killed. This book is intense, and what makes it intense is that everthing in it is true. He witnessed so many deaths and so many other horrors, but he managed to let go of his hatred. He found peace with himself; he no longer has that inner struggle. And I think that's the message the book tries to convey. You can not let hatred take over your heart, you can not become senseless.
