I listened to this as an audio book, and I really think this was the type of story that was made for that medium. Beah comes from a culture that really values storytelling, and his words come alive when read aloud. His accent is less of a difficulty than I would have expected, as Sierra Leone is not place I'd had much exposure to at all. Add in the fact that Beah is my age, and it makes for a powerful tale. There has been some controversy over whether everything in the book happened exactly as written, but his work to draw attention to the plight of child soldiers is commendable.
I listened to this as an audio book, and I really think this was the type of story that was made for that medium. Beah comes from a culture that really values storytelling, and his words come alive when read aloud. His accent is less of a difficulty than I would have expected, as Sierra Leone is not place I'd had much exposure to at all. Add in the fact that Beah is my age, and it makes for a powerful tale. There has been some controversy over whether everything in the book happened exactly as written, but his work to draw attention to the plight of child soldiers is commendable.