“My conception of New York City came from rap music. I envisioned it as a place where people shot each other on the street and got away with it; no one walked on the streets, rather people drove in their… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
“At night it felt as if we were walking with the moon. It followed us under thick clouds and waited for us at the other end of dark forest paths. It would disappear with sunrise but return again, hovering on our path. Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share
“I learned that you are not free until you stop others from making you feel worthless. Because if you do not, you will eventually… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
ONE OF THE UNSETTLING THINGS about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn’t sure when or where it was going to… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
My squad is my family, my gun is my provider, and protector, and my rule is to kill or be killed. — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
My mother tongue, Mende, is very expressive, very figurative, and when I write, I always struggle to find the English equivalent of things that… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
Some people tried to hurt us to protect themselves, their family and communities...This was one of the consequences of civil war. People stopped trusting… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
I grew up in Sierra Leone, in a small village where as a boy my imagination was sparked by the oral tradition of storytelling.… — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen. — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
“Circumstances will change and things will be fine, just hold on a little more” — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
This is one of the consequences of the civil war. People stop trusting each other, and every stranger becomes an enemy. — Ishmael Beah Copy Share Image
