Study Guide
NOTE: This study guide is not all-inclusive. It is intended as a companion to reading the novel to check
for understanding.
List of Characters:
Ishmael Beah was a child soldier for the Sierra Leone Armed Services during the civil war with the RUF,
the Revolutionary United Front, known as the rebels. The rebels are blamed for the death of Ishmael's
family, and his soldiering is motivated by his desire for revenge. Ishmael's story is one of personal
transformation and survival. Before the war, he enjoys a happy childhood in his village. During the war,
he becomes a killing machine capable of horrible acts of violence. When UNICEF rescues the boy soldiers
from the front lines of war, Ishmael is rehabilitated. Through the love and compassion of his nurse and
extended family, Ishmael learns to manage his anger and to forgive himself for the war that wasn't his
fault. He learns to accept the help of others and to use his story to educate the world about the
atrocities of how war affects children.
Esther is Ishmael's nurse at Benin House, the rehabilitation center where he is brought after the war.
She treats Ishmael's wounds and encourages him to talk about his experiences. When Esther brings him
a cassette of rap music and a Walkman, Ishmael has a breakthrough in his therapy. He begins telling her
his stories and processing his pain. Esther's unconditional love and perseverance bring Ishmael back to
the boy he had been before the war. Though his war experiences have altered him, he learns to trust
Esther and reach out to others for help as well.
Uncle Tommy is Ishmael's father's brother. He is a carpenter in Freetown who struggles to raise his
children and the children of relatives who can't care for them. He is a kind and gregarious man who
loves to laugh and to help others.
When Uncle Tommy learns of Ishmael's fate in the rehabilitation center, he comes immediately to see
him. He offers Ishmael a home and embraces him. He continues to visit every weekend, taking Ishmael
for walks and telling him stories of his own childhood with Ishmael's father. When Ishmael is ready to
leave the center, Uncle Tommy takes him in and treats him like a son. Uncle Tommy is significant in
Ishmael's life because his love provides Ishmael a home for his future. When other boys at the center
are denied by their families, they often return to soldiering and their army families.
The Lieutenant is a father figure in the Sierra Leone Armed Services. He trains the boy soldiers and leads
them into battles against the RUF. He and Ishmael bond over their mutual love of Shakespeare, and
Ishmael looks up to the Lieutenant. When UNICEF comes to rescue the boy soldiers, it is the Lieutenant
who hands them over, and Ishmael feels betrayed and angry. The Lieutenant is an important part of the
family that Ishmael declares loyalty to during the war.
Laura Simms is a storyteller in New York City. She and Ishmael bond when he visits the United Nations
to share his story of being a boy soldier. Laura invites all the children from the delegation back to her
home at the conclusion of the conference. For Ishmael, Laura represents an outsider who truly cares
about the fate of children in war-torn countries. She listens to and honors their stories and teaches
them how to share their stories with the world. Once Ishmael returns to Sierra Leone, Laura writes
often and sends him money. When Ishmael escapes the country, he makes his way to the United States
and Laura becomes his foster mother. Like with Esther and Tommy, Laura's compassion and
unconditional love allow Ishmael to begin trusting again and pave the way for his bright future.
Alhaji -One of Ishmael's best friends in the army. He is also rescued by UNICEF and placed in the same
rehabilitation center.
Gasemu - A banana farmer from Ishmael's village. Ishmael and his friends meet him again outside the
village where the boys believe their families are hiding. He is responsible for the delay that causes the
boys to reach the village just as the RUF attack. Ishmael blames him for his family's death and attacks
him, but the other boys hold Ishmael back and claim that Gasemu actually saved their lives.
Leslie - Ishmael's case worker at the rehabilitation center. He is responsible for helping Ishmael make
decisions about his future once his therapy is over. Leslie finds Uncle Tommy, which opens the doors to
Ishmael's new life and new home.
Mambu - A child soldier in the same rehabilitation center as Ishmael. He is key to the violent attack on
the center's staff. He and Ishmael later sell their school supplies to pay for their adventures in the city.
Musa - One of Ishmael's friends from his village. He and Ishmael meet in the forest and struggle to
survive together.
Kanei - Another of Ishmael's friends from his village with whom Ishmael struggles to survive.
Junior Beah -Ishmael's older brother by one year. While running from the RUF, Junior and Ishmael are
separated. Months later, Ishmael learns that his brother escaped the attack and may be alive. When
Ishmael finds the village where he believes his family is hiding, the RUF attack again. Junior's body is
never found but he is presumed dead.
Mohamed - Ishmael's best friend. Though Mohamed remained in their village on the first trip, his fate
was similar and the boys are reunited at the rehabilitation center. Mohamed is an important part of
Ishmael's emotional journey back from the war. He and Ishmael attend school together in Freetown,
and Ishmael calls him his brother.
Talloi -A mutual friend of Junior and Ishmael. He is part of the rap and dance group that Ishmael and his
friends created when they were eight years old. He is part of the group that helps Ishmael survive in the
forest.
Gibrilla, Kaloka, and Khalilou - Mutual friends of Junior and Ishmael. They live in Mattru Jong and are
part of the group of rappers that invites the boys to perform.
Source: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/a-long-way-gone/character-listanalysis/ishmael-beah.html
Chapter 1 Study Questions:
1. What 3 other boys is Ishmael with as the story opens?
2. What is the name of Ishmael’s village?
3. To what village do the for boys travel for the talent show?
4. At what boy’s house are they when they hear of the attack on Ishmael’s town?
5. Describe the scene from Ishmael’s eyes as he tries to return to their village. List at least three
disasters he witnesses.
6. What was Ishmael fascinated with and was advised to “strive” like?
Chapter 2 Study Questions
1. Where did the boys get the guns to shoot the armed group in the soccer field?
2. What 3 worlds did Ishmael live in during these times?
Chapter 3 Study Questions
1.
What does RUF stand for? Who were these people?
2. What did they do to new recruits to prove that they belonged to the RUF?
3. What did Ishmael realize about what gives a town life?
4.
How did the rebels attack Mattru Jong?
5.
How did Ishmael and his friends escape from the ambush on Mattru Jong?
Chapter 4 Study Questions
1. How many, including Ishmael, escaped the attack on their village?
2. Why did the boys have to try and return to Mattru Jong?
3.
Describe the gruesome sight that made Ishmael vomit?
4.
What was more important that the rice that Ishmael found under the bed?
5.
Why were the boys not able to buy food at nearby villages?
6.
According to Ishmael, what was a “typical aspect of being in the war?
Chapter 5 Study Questions:
1.
How does Ishmael describe the hunger he feels?
2.
Why was Ishmael appalled at the way the rebels were treating the elderly man?
3.
Why did the rebels laugh at the old man after the shots were fired?
4.
How did Ishmael and his five friends escape? What distracted the rebels just as they were
about to kill the six boys?
Chapter 6 Study Questions
1.
Why were people terrified of young boys Ishmael’s age?
2.
According to Ishmael, what was a “consequence of the civil war” and the way people
related to each other?
3.
How did the rap cassettes save the boys’ lives at one of the villages?
4.
What affection does Junior show Ishmael?
5.
Where the six boys appointed watchmen in exchange for food and shelter?
6.
Describe Ishmael’s memories of farming.
7.
Does the village get attacked? Do the boys get separated? Who does Ishmael lose at that
point?
Chapter 7.
1.
Ishmael describes the prayer of the imam. What religion are they practicing?
2.
Why did Ishmael decide to leave the safety of the swamp?
3.
How long was Ishmael on the path before he found others?
4.
Why didn’t the family help Ishmael get to the sea?
Chapter 8
1.
When Ishmael walked for three days, what did he finally find to eat?
2.
Describe the memory Ishmael has of his brother Junior in Kabati. What was the name of
the magic potion? What was its power?
3.
According to Ishmael, what is the worst thing about loneliness?
4.
What type of animal attacked Ishmael in the forest? Briefly retell the myth of the wild
pig.
5.
Ishmael’s father used to say, “If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or
she will ___________.
6.
How many boys does Ishmael find along his journey?
7.
Why does the old man who helps them tell the boys it is not necessary to remember his
name?
Chapter 9
1.
What did the boys stumble upon that sounded like the roar of big engines?
2.
What punishment did the fisherman village give to the boys (what part of their clothing
did they take?
3.
Describe the pain and suffering of walking without shoes. What did their feet look like?
4.
Give a brief description of each of the six boys with Ishmael:
Musa
Kanei
Alhaji
Juma
Saidu
Morbia
5.
What tribe was the man from who helped heal the boys?
6.
Why did the men from the village come to get the boys/
7.
What surprising thing did Ishmael do when he was captured? Why?
8.
What again saves the boys from being killed?
Chapter 10 Study Guide
1.
What does Ishmael say was one of the most unsettling things about his journey?
2.
Summarize what Saidu says about dying on pg. 70.
3.
What was Ishmael’s nickname from his grandmother and why?
4.
Describe Ishmael’s story of his birth ceremony on pg. 75-77.
5.
Retell how each boy because a refugee:
Alhaja
Kanei
Jumah/Moriba
Saidu
6.
What fell out of the sky that the boys ate?
7.
What did the boys think were above the bridge at night (the 3 figures)?
8.
Who dies in this chapter? Why is it ironic that he dies? What did he say about waiting for
death at the beginning of the chapter?
9.
Why is Ishmael hopeful?
Chapter 11
1.
What was the name of the man who they meet along the way to find their parents?
2.
What good news does this man give Ishmael?
3.
What happens when they stop to rest on the hill top from carrying the bananas?
4.
How does Ishmael react when he sees the village destroyed? How do the other boys
React?
5.
In his younger years, what did Ishmael learn about grown men and crying?
Chapter 12
1.
What was different about the soldiers at Yele, as well as Yele itself?
2.
What does Ishmael share with the Lieutenant about Shakespeare?
3.
Why were the young boys recruited for this army?
4.
On pg. 107, it is unlikely that the man and child were killed by rebels, but rather by the
Army. Why would the army kill innocent people and bring the young recruits to show
them?
5.
What happened to Ishmael’s cassettes when he was given his new uniform?
6.
What was the first gun Ishmael was given?
7.
How did the Lieutenant start to brainwash the youths by the banana trees?
Chapter 13 Study Questions
1. What were the direct orders of the corporal regarding who to shoot (pg. 115)?
2. What were the “white tablets” supposed to do for the boys?
3. What was ironic about the way that Josiah and Sheku had to carry their guns?
4. Was Ishmael able to shoot during his first attack as an army soldier?
5. Which of Ishmael’s friends was killed immediately?
6. Why was Ishmael not afraid of the lifeless bodies? What was happening to him?
Chapter 14 Study Questions
1. List the types of drugs the soldiers took. What is brown brown?
2. Why did the army attack civilian villages?
3. What did the drugs do to the boys?
4. Even though Ishmael says he shot as many as he could, why do you think he didn’t feel
Better?
5. Describe the Lieutenant’s speech to the civilians. Was he being honest with them?
6. Why was it easy for Ishmael to slit the prisoner’s throat?
7. What is the one thing that Ishmael could not do at night?
Chapter 15 Study Questions
1.
Finish this sentence: “My ___________ was my family, my ___________ was my
provider and __________, and my ___________ was to kill or be killed.
2.
How long had the fighting gone on at this point in the memoir?
3.
What famous Shakespeare play does the Lieutenant quote to Ishmael? What is ironic
about this quote? Look up and see how Macbeth was finally killed by Dunsinane.
4.
What happened to Ishmael when UNICEF came?
5.
Why was Ishmael so angry to be taken away?
6.
At the base, describe how the boys treated the UNICEF staff. Why did they treat them
this way (hint: what were they told about civilians?, Also, what does Ishmael say at the
top of pg. 135)?
7.
Who plucked a boy’s eye out at the camp?
Chapter 16 Study Questions
1.
What did the boys do when the nurses came to set up medical appointments with the
boys?
2.
What did the boys do all day, only to stop for meals?
3.
Why do you think the workers keep telling the boys, “It’s not your fault?” How does
Ishmael react to this phrase?
4.
Why did Ishmael finally have to go to the hospital?
5.
How did Ishmael get the nickname “Green Snake” when he lead an attack on a village?
6.
What kind of flashbacks were the boys having that made them tie up the UNICEF
workers?
7.
What did the boys start to sell that was given to them at the camp?
8.
To what city did the boys travel? Describe some of their adventures (the bus ride, the ice
cream, the buildings).
9.
Why did the boys eventually start going to class?
10.
Notice how Ishmael has been telling his memoir as a series of flashbacks. What does this
say about the trauma he suffered as a boy soldier?
Chapter 17 Study Questions
1.
Why did Ishmael like being alone (pg 153)?
2.
What did Ishmael think was the reason people befriended each other?
3.
What did Esther give Ishmael as a present?
4.
How was Ishmael’s response to it?
5.
Describe how Ishmael received the bullet wounds. Describe the ordeal with his foot and
what the army had to do to save Ishmael’s life.
6.
Describe the relationship being built between Ishmael and Esther.
7.
Who came to see Ishmael one afternoon (pg 161)?
8.
How were the counselors learning so much about the boys and their likes/dislikes?
9.
Who finally made Ishmael believe that all of this was not his fault? Why did he finally
believe it?
Chapter 18 Study Questions
1.
Who were the visitors that came to watch the boys perform (4 groups, pg. 168)?
2.
What did Ishmael perform?
3.
What did Ishmael always tell people about children?
4.
What childhood friend arrived at the camp? Describe their reunion.
5.
What only known relative did Ishmael knew might be alive? Did he believe that Leslie
could find him?
6.
If none of Ishmael’s relatives were found, where would Ishmael go?
7.
What does it mean to be “repatriated?”
8.
What was Ishmael’s response when he saw his uncle? He had doubts, but why does
Ishmael finally believe this is his uncle?
9.
Why do you think that Ishmael felt unworthy to go live with his uncle?
10.
How did the walks help Ishmael in his recovery?
12.
Who are the members of Ishmael’s extended family (pg. 177)?
Chapter 19 Study Questions
1.
What fears does Ishmael have about being repatriated to his uncle’s home?
2.
Describe the good-bye that Ishmael had with his friends that day.
3.
Where did Allie take Ishmael? How was the experience for Ishmael?
4.
Why did Ishmael stop dating Zainab?
5.
Leslie invites Ishmael to speak to the UN about his experiences. Describe his experience
at the interview. Compare him to the other boys who were there. Why were they laughing
at Ishmael?
6.
What reason did Ishmael give as to why he should be chosen to speak at the UN?
7.
Why was Ishmael’s uncle skeptical about Ishmael’s trip to the UN in New York?
8.
Why did the lady at the UN want to be assured that Ishmael would not stay in the United
States, and what did she ask as for proof that Ishmael would return to Sierra Leone?
9.
How did this anger Ishmael?
10.
What was Ishmael’s family’s response to him leaving for New York?
Reminder: Who is Dr. Tamba?
Chapter 20 Study Questions
1.
Two things – the cold and snow – really shocked Ishmael. Why?
2.
What did Ishmael think people did in New York City?
3.
Describe the Vanderbilt YMCA and Ishmael’s first night there.
4.
Did Ishmael enjoy the food in America?
5.
Who was Laura Simms? Why did Ishmael like her so much?
6.
What did Laura do for Ishmael and Bah?
7.
Describe the Children’s UN conference. What was the main point of the conference?
8.
Summarize Ishmael’s speech to the UN.
Chapter 21 Study Questions
1.
Describe what Ishmael did when he got back home to Sierra Leone.
2.
Who was now living with Ishmael?
3.
What happened on May 25, 1997?
4.
Who was the new government?
5.
Describe the scene when Mohamed and Ishmael went to get food.
6.
Describe how Ishmael’s uncle died.
7.
Why was Ishmael so desperate to stay with Laura? What was his biggest fear?
8.
By what means of transportation did Ishmael escape?
9.
What was the name of the town the bus took the passengers?
10.
What did the immigration officers take from the passengers so they could cross the
country? Why was this so upsetting to Ishmael and others?
11.
How many checkpoints did Ishmael have to go through (pg. 214) before getting to
Conakry?
12.
What happened to the people who could not pay the bribes?
13.
Where did Ishmael end up at the end of the chapter?
14.
What was his answer to the monkey riddle?