86 pages • 2 hours read
Ishmael BeahA Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Key Figures
Ishmael Beah
The protagonist and narrator of this memoir, Ishmael Beah is a 12-year-old boy whose parents are separated. He enjoys performing rap music with his older brother, Junior, and their friends. When they travel to another village to perform one day, the RUF attacks his home village, and his parents and relatives are scattered. The boys wander through neighboring territories seeking food and shelter until Ishmael loses the rest of the group in another rebel attack and survives alone in the forest for weeks. Eventually, he is claimed as a child soldier by the Sierra Leone military forces until United Nations workers rescue him at the age of 15. He is rehabilitated, and a paternal uncle invites Ishmael to live in his home in Freetown. The author is eventually chosen to participate in a United Nations Children’s Conference in New York City where he speaks about his experiences as a child involved in a civil war. Later, an official whom Ishmael meets at the Conference adopts him. Ishmael seeks to promote the wellbeing of children internationally, particularly that of children impacted by war.
The acts of violence Ishmael witnessed and committed in Sierra Leone continue to haunt him. He struggles to connect with his friends at school who think it is “cool” that he fought in a civil war. Meanwhile, he suffers nightmares so severe that it is often difficult for him to discern his waking life from his dreams. That said, Ishmael’s rehabilitation allows him to finally see himself as a child rather than a soldier. He acknowledges the extent to which the army coerced him into fighting and conditioned him to commit violence. For that reason, he is able to forgive himself for participating in wartime atrocities.
Junior Beah
Ishmael’s older brother, Junior, always seeks to protect the author. At the start of their journey, they are inseparable; however, they lose one another during a rebel raid. Ishmael is troubled by what he perceives to be the diminishment of his brother’s spirit after weeks of dodging rebels and fighting to survive. Recalling the days immediately prior to their separation, Ishmael regrets not making a better effort to emotionally connect with Junior. After the raid on Kamator, Junior disappears and is presumed dead.
Lieutenant Jabati
During Ishmael’s time in the Sierra Leone armed forces, Lieutenant Jabati is his commanding officer. The two connect over Jabati’s love of Shakespeare, and Ishmael’s interactions with him provide a rare opportunity for the boy to briefly recapture his lost humanity. At the same time, Jabati exemplifies the brutality of the Sierra Leonean army. When Jabati selects Ishmael to be taken by UNICEF for rehabilitation, Ishmael perceives this as a personal betrayal.
Alhaji
Alhaji is one of the author’s closest friends. He is part of a group of boys whom Ishmael meets after wandering alone in the forest for weeks. Heavily influenced by the Rambo movies, Alhaji is known for his skills in combat. He undergoes rehabilitation in Freetown with Ishmael and moves through a series of foster homes upon is discharge from the facility.
Saidu
Saidu is the de facto leader of the group of boys Ishmael meets in the forest following Junior’s death. As Saidu hides in the attic during an attack on his family, he is forced to listen to the sounds of the rebels rape his three sisters. Saidu dies after joining the boys in eating a crow that fell from the sky.
Uncle Tommy
Tommy is the author’s paternal uncle. The pair had never met prior to UN workers tracing any family members who might provide Ishmael a home. He and his wife, Sallay, are childless; however, they raise four children who are relatives. The couple is loving and selfless. They provide the author the physical and emotional support necessary for him to heal.
Esther
Esther, the nurse at the Benin Home rehabilitation facility, is intuitive and compassionate. After giving Ishmael a Walkman and a Run-DMC cassette, she becomes the first person to whom the author opens up regarding his past experiences. Charitable and non-judgmental, she always assures Ishmael that none of his actions were his own fault. When Ishmael laments the loss of his entire family, Esther advises him to regard her as his sister.
Laura Simms
Laura Simms is an author and humanitarian whom Ishmael meets during the United Nations Children’s Conference. Eventually, she adopts the author and invites him to share her home in Greenwich Village, New York City.
