Overview
Region
West Africa
Sierra Leone
Era
Contemporary
Language
English
Genre
Memoir
About This Work
Beah's account of being conscripted as a child soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war at age 12, his rehabilitation, and his life in New York. One of the most widely read African memoirs.
Literary Significance
Bestseller; transformed international awareness of child soldiers; Beah became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador