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Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah

Activist; Storyteller from Sierra Leone; Author, "A Long Way Gone"

Ishmael Beah is a human rights activist and author of the powerful memoir A Long Way Gone (Sarah Crichton Books, 2007) which recounts his childhood journey through war-torn Sierra Leone. The book was a number one New York Times bestseller and has been published in over thirty languages. Beah’s first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow (Sarah Crichton Books, 2014), is a haunting and beautiful portrayal of life in post-war Sierra Leone. Beah was born in 1980. He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College...

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Bio

Full Bio

Ishmael Beah is a human rights activist and author of the powerful memoir A Long Way Gone (Sarah Crichton Books, 2007) which recounts his childhood journey through war-torn Sierra Leone.

The book was a number one New York Times bestseller and has been published in over thirty languages. Beah’s first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow (Sarah Crichton Books, 2014), is a haunting and beautiful portrayal of life in post-war Sierra Leone.

Beah was born in 1980. He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York. In 2004 he graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in political science. He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO) at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and many other NGO panels on children affected by the war. His work has appeared in VespertinePress and LIT magazine. He lives in New York City.

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Testimonials

PRAISE FOR ISHMAEL BEAH: “We talked about Mr. Beah the entire period…..and that was in my MATH class!”

Zach Hinson, Student, Columbus Academy

Topics

Topics

Memoirs of a Boy Soldier: Ishmael Beah was picked up by a government army and turned into a child soldier when he was only thirteen. Eventually released by the army, Ishmael struggled to forgive himself for terrible acts he committed as a soldier. Ishmael shares his struggles and eventual success with audiences, giving testimony to the strength of human redemption and hope.

Videos

Videos

Ishmael Beah Speaks at TCU

Books

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
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Radiance of Tomorrow: A Novel
Radiance of Tomorrow: A Novel
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