Reading Questions

The Fog of MemoirThe feud over the truthfulness of Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone.

By Gabriel ShermanPosted Thursday, March 6, 2008, at 2:20 PM ET (The Slate)

Ishmael BeahOn Jan. 19, the Australian, Rupert Murdoch's Aussie broadsheet, published a 4,600-word investigation challenging the credibility of the child-soldier memoir A Long Way Gone. Author Ishmael Beah's heart-wrenching account of Sierra Leone's civil war and the two years he spent as a cocaine-addicted teenage killer achieved instant literary acclaim after its publication last winter and was selected as the inaugural title in Starbucks' reading club. Into its 35^th printing, A Long Way Gonehas sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide. Beah, 27, now travels the world as a UNICEF ambassador raising awareness for the plight of child soldiers.

To Read the whole article:

http://www.slate.com/id/2185928/pagenum/all/#p2


This raises some interesting points, but really, with all the horrors and blood that has spilt in Africa and Sierra Leone is this the best discussion we can have? No matter the truth of Ishmael's story or not - which I as well wondered how he could remember it all so clearly - the fact of the matter is that his story is real somewhere and to someone. What he describes in his book has happened, and we need to be doing something about that, not about if one story has 100% accuracy. Whether the boy was a child soldier for two years or two months - does it matter? It must have been horrible. Let us focus on that.

Sierra Leone - A True Picture

www.walkinglion.org

The AT in the Rain!!

So I just got back from another trek on the Appalachian Trail.  I wasn't sure if I would go today, but am glad I did.  I was reminded of why at the first sign of a drop of rain in college I threw on my running shoes and hit the pavement.  I love the rain, especially out in the woods.  So peacefully enticing.

Climate and When to Go

I've been getting some questions about why I want to go when I would like to go in October and if it might not be better to push this back a bit.  I wanted to explain the rationale a bit in reference to the rainy season and the dry season.   

Blood Diamonds

Amputee Soccer/Football

This video is about Sierra Leone's neighbor Liberia.  The two countries were intricately intertwined in both their civil wars and the catastrophes that they still need to overcome.  Sport and amputee games are helping heel some scars, its just a shame that these small countries would actually have enough people without limbs to field teams.  What can we do?



Thanks to Marla for passing this along...