More on Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone

In January I wrote about what was being reported in the Australian news media about Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone. Apparently questions had arisen as to the accuracy of his memories of life as a teenage soldier in Sierra Leone.

You can read more about this at newsvine.com. I think this article by Hillel Italie says it best:

Memoirs, of course, are a famously imperfect art form. Inaccuracies and omissions appear in classics by Henry Adams and Benjamin Franklin and countless other works. While few are reduced to proven deceit, such as James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces," even the best books are only as reliable as memory itself.

Who among us can accurately remember events that occurred when we were children — much less in the environment of being trained to be a mercenary killer? I can't even imagine what that would be like.

Thus, this title remains one of my most memorable books from 2007.

Ishmael Beah's Memory of Events

There was notice in Publishers Weekly yesterday (January 21, 2008) that one of the books on my personal 'Best of 2007' list, Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone, may be inaccurate.

According to Publishers Weekly, Sydney's The Australian reports that Beah's chronology of events in war-torn Sierra Leone differs from actual dates in the conflict. (January 19, 2008 and January 21, 2008)

It appears that Beah's claim to have spent two years as a soldier may be inaccurate.

I heard Beah speak at the 2007 Pennsylvania Library Association conference in State College, PA. Regardless of whether his book is factually correct, his book and his speech were both moving accounts of how war affects communities and families.

Publishers' Weekly says that a statement is expected from Beah's publisher later today. I'm sure thar I won't be alone in watching how this story resolves itself.