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Drs. Bruce and Molly Recommend - A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
Posted by Dr. Molly Roberts on November 24th, 2008
Thanksgiving is a decidedly American holiday, but I love the universal feeling of gratitude that is attached to it. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is a book that personifies thanksgiving, precisely because there was so little to be thankful for in his life.
This is a book that captures the deep sorrow and tragedy of those who have watched their families die and were forced into servitude as boy soldiers. On the surface, this is a story about the loss of hope and humanity, and if it ended at that, we would have understood.
And yet, here Ishmael is, very much human, with a kindness and softness that seems to belie those atrocities that he admits to committing in the name of duty. Despite extensive training geared toward wiping out his emotions and becoming a killing machine, he has transformed himself into a lover of peace. He brings a message of hope and humanity to counteract his story of cruelty and deprivation.
Isn’t it interesting how when we have the least, we appreciate the small blessings the most? Find your center of gratitude in the midst of your own troubles and strife, and become the Grateful Hero in your own life story.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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