a long way gone ch. 1-2

The first two chapters of A Long Way Gone were sad. It was hard to read them because they were very intense and graphic too. The first couple pages were okay; there was nothing about all of the fighting and everything. The main character and all of his friends seemed like just normal kids. If I didn’t know what the book was about before I read it, I would think that it wasn’t about the war. I was shocked when the part came about the blood and everything. I almost had to put the book down but for some reason I couldn’t because it was suspenseful and I wanted to read more of it and see what happened. The part where the woman was carrying her baby on her back and when the baby was shot was the part that really stunned me. That page was the one that really got to me. The second chapter was also very descriptive and intense, even though it was just a dream and not real. I think it’s amazing that Ishmael Beah can write about that stuff after he’s experienced it; I would want to forget it all. I’m impressed with the book but also kind of afraid of getting to parts that are going to be really bad.