A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

"In the more than fifty violent conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are 300,000 child soldiers, traumatized, hopped up on drugs, and wielding AK47s (from back cover)."  The writer of this memoir, Ishmael Beah, was just one of them.

This is definitely a book for students in high school up through adult -- definitely not a "children's" book, although it is a heart-wrenching book about Beah's childhood.  With his entire family killed during war, Beah had no choice but to join the fight when he was only 12 years old. He became adept at carrying his AK47, a bayonet, and extra ammunition throughout the jungles of his homeland -- until UNICEF workers rescued him and attempted to give him a childhood back.

This book was one I couldn't put down.  It made me incredibly thankful that my children are growing up in a country where this would never happen, but very sad that my children are growing up in a WORLD where this happens every day. Ishmael Beah is a symbol of the resiliency of children.