LAST CHAPTERRR

This last chapter had a few turns for the worse. First Ishmael thought everything would be okay, like usual, but it never happens that way. He is back in school with his friend Mohamed, and they are having a great time. They would walk to school slowly because Ishmael would want to think about where his life was going and he thought that his life could not get any worse than it had been. Which was very unfortunate since he lost his grandfather not long after. It was very sad, because Ishmael was there and had his grandfather in his arms when he died. “ I was always loosing everything that meant something to me.” I really like this quote because it shows you that Ishmael makes strong connections with the ones he loves, but then he looses it not long after. It shows you how much Ishmael really cares about people he loves and that he would do anything for them, like when he had to get food for his family even though he almost died. It shows you that Ishmael’s spirits start to rise up, but then they are lost. He thought everything was coming back to normal, but then a war broke out. For months guns shots were heard all over the town, but people got so use to it. People got back to their lives after a few weeks of the war. People would go into town trying to buy food for their families but were killed. This was horrible for Ishmael, because it brought back the bad memories when he was a soldier. The last thing he wanted to do was become a soldier again and start where he left off. So eh decided to run away and get away from the war so that he wouldn’t be killed or become a soldier again. He runs away, hides in the bushes, and takes so many bus rides. Finally he arrives to Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Here, Ishmael is able to start a new life and leave everything behind him and focus on the present. Overall, I loved this book, not only because it was a true story, but because it showed you how much Ishmael Beah had to go through at such a young age. He had to live a life that none of us would ever dream of living, and he made it out alive which was a miracle.

Chapter 19 and 20

I was so happy when Ishmael Beah was asked to go to New York, and that he decided to go. This showed you that Ishmael wanted to get away from everything and try new things. I thought these chapters were pretty funny, especially when Ishmael didn’t know what an elevator was. He just stood there waiting for something to happen, and continued to stand there. I felt bad for him though, because the kids around him were laughing. But I mean if you think about it, anyone here in the U.S would know how to use an elevator and this really shows you how completely different Ishmael’s lifestyle is compared to ours. I loved the part describing New York City, because I think I would do the same thing. I think I would look at all of the beautiful lights and just be mesmerized. I can relate to the part where Ishmael was stunned at how cold it was outside, because I am the same way when winter comes around. Out of these two chapters, I was really happy for Ishmael to be able to try new things and be able to have fun and have his mind off of the war for a little while.