Ishmael Beah's bestselling memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, tells of his childhood in Sierra Leone during its civil war. As a young boy, he is displaced from his home, forced to walk through the desert and jungle, and is finally captured and forced into the army. If you haven't read it, you should check it out. Amazing story.
Recently, the Australian ran an article challenging Beah's story, citing a discrepancy in the dates of events. In the memoir, Beah claims that in 1993, when he was 12 years old, rebels attacked his village. When he was 13, he was captured and forced to fight in the army. The Australian says that an "investigation" into Beah's story revealed that the events Beah described did not actually occur until 1995, and he was only soldier for a few months, rather than the 2 years Beah claims. Beah is standing by his story and the dates of events. The Australian does concede that the supposed inaccuracies are probably a result of Beah's memory being impaired by trauma, drugs and extreme youth.
While I agree it may be possible that the trauma of the events may have affected his memory, let's look at the big picture here people. So maybe he has some dates wrong. What does that change? Is what happened to him any less horrific because he was 15 instead of 13? Is it not so bad because he was only forced to kill people for a few months, rather than a few years? I didn't think so.
5 comments:
I haven't read Beah's book and don't intend to. I'm afraid I am not very impressed by him...not only because I believe he has deliberately lied in his book, but also because his defense occasioned by the investigations of the the Australian's reporters showed just how desperate he is to continue the lie he is living, and the blatent lies he is telling the world. He needs to confess that he has positioned himself deliberately to benefit financially from the continuation of his historical and personal deceptions. I find him appaling.
Well, we will agree to disagree on this once. I guess I would question the origin of the vehemence with which you oppose Beah. Are you basing your opinions on these reporters' allegations, or do you have other knowledge that leads you to believe so strongly that his story is a lie?
What the heck "Anonymous"!?! You haven't read the book and don't intend to yet you attack the author? You have no reason to believe this Australian reporter any more than Ishmael Beah. Maybe the Australian reporter is in it for the money! Read the book before you call him appalling; you can't make horrors like that up.
I read the book a couple of days after it first came out. I'm West African, highly versed in the study of conflicts in that area, especially in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast. I knew from the book was full of imaginary stuff. It was pretty clear to me that his account was at best inflated and at worst "infictionated". It just didn't add up...
This is a different anonymous. He says that crossing the border, he was asked to pay 300 leoneans which he claims to have been 2 months salary. The fact is around that time 300 leoneans was probably enough to buy you a soft drink. Even today the exchange rate for one U.S. dollar is about 800 Le.
Post a Comment