After a long day of interviews and photographs, Ishmael Beah addressed a full house at Emens Auditorium to talk about his book, "A Long Way Gone."
"I wrote this book because I realized that people didn't understand what was really going on. I realized that someone had to put a face to these experiences," Beah said.
Though it was hard for him to write a memoir of his past, he said, "As I wrote my book I would think, at this moment there is a child out there who is going through the same experiences I did."
He summed up his life growing up in Sierra Leone as a child soldier for the government's military during a civil war.
"Hope itself is a form of strength, a form of courage," he said. "All of us have that strength within us; we just don't believe it."
He also talked about war; the effect it has on people, and the glamorization of it in American culture.
"Some wars are necessary, but it's very difficult to achieve anything with war because we just end up killing people that we don't agree with ... when people romanticize violence, I know that they have never experienced it. There is a need to educate people about what violence really is and what it can do to people," Beah said.
After telling his story, Beah read a few excerpts from his book about his first experiences with war and some of his memories as a child.
"He explained things in a way that I could understand and he had a great sense of humor," junior Allen Caldwell said.
Sophomore Diana DesJean said Beah's book was powerful to her.
"It really got to me when he read the excerpts, it made a much bigger impact," she said
He also stressed the importance of being grateful for what you have and helping others.
"If my life is for myself, it is not worth having," he said, quoting musician Bob Marley.
Beah has been working with the United Nations Children's Fund to stop the military use of children.
Beah said students who want to offer help can learn about the issues they are interested in.
"I want you to look at education, not just as something that can give you a career, but as a journey to discover yourself and the ability to help others," Beah said
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
