A LONG WAY GONE

SMRITI
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We have all heard about the conflicts, despair, poverty, genocide and what not, taking place in different parts of Africa. The Dark continent - as it is called - has been a very ignored part of our planet. While we are busy in our daily lives, worrying about taxes, governments, terrorists, economy, poverty and disease, there are children dying an anonymous death in inhospitable environments.


A Long way gone:  Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is one book I picked up on recommendation from, who else, Sari Bua...My guide to good book read. This bestselling novel is a true story of the author and his experiences as a twelve year old, growing up in civil war stricken Sierra Leone. When rebels attack his village, Ishmael and his friends are forced to run for their lives, because they know that if they are caught, they'd be forced to join the rebel army. For months together, they continue to evade the rebels, running through thick forests, villages, losing friends and family on the way, while the rebel army continues to systematically destroy the nation, pillaging, raping and murdering indiscriminately. 

After months of evading, Beah and his friends find themselves in a village controlled by the National Army. They think they are safe in the village but the army compels him to fight against the rebels, as a revenge for the atrocities against him and his family. Despite being so young, Ishmael readily joins the cause and fights for over 2 years, turning into a cold-blooded killer who goes about killing and maiming others. He lives a constantly drug-induced life with an endless supply of marijuana. Though he starts out thinking he is fighting for a good cause, he finds himself descending further and further into moral decay.

He is taken to Freetown and handed over to a UNICEF rehabilitation program where he struggles to overcome his drug addiction and also to give up his violent past. It takes a lot of time and effort on his part to be integrated into what is termed as a "civilised society".

The story is a grim reminder of all the trials and tribulations of children in other parts of the world..that children are spending their childhood with guns and bombs. While Beah was able to escape this life to a better one in America, about 300,000 child soldiers are still in Sierra Leone, trying to get back to a normal life.  The story also makes us wonder about the vulnerability of a young mind and how a good person was lured into killer ways. Though the ending might seem pretty abrupt, it is still a good read.

A LONG WAY GONE is an important book and is worth the read. Especially for those of us who have had a well sheltered and protected childhood, and how lucky we are. It should make us sit up and take notice that children who should enjoy their childhood, are left to fend for themselves and being turned into cold-blooded killers, as we  continue to struggle with something as petty as traffic. It surely makes us think.

A WONDERFUL READ. MUST HAVE.


Excerpt:

My high school friends have begun to suspect I haven’t told them the full story of my life. “Why did you leave Sierra Leone?” “Because there is a war.” “Did you witness some of the fighting?” “Everyone in the country did.” “You mean, you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?” “Yes, all the time.” “Cool.” I smile a little. “You should tell us about it sometime.” “Yes, sometime.”

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John Wright's Indian Summers

SMRITI
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As My blog description suggests that they would contain more stuff about Raikkonen, Books, Sports and ME... it has been more of the ME and less of other elements. My beloved Raikkonen hasn't been written about enough either. So I thought, let me write something about the books I'm reading/have read.
These days I'm a bit tied up with studies, so I guess I will write about one of the nicest books I've read in the recent times.

John Wright's Indian Summers is an enthralling read for all the Indian cricket aficionados. Indian cricket's first foreign coach, the New Zealander gives vivid details of his long and successful stint at the helm of cricketing world's most star packed team. Of course, after the World Cup '07 we all label them more as fading stars, but during his time the ream flourished and reached dizzying heights. New stars were born and a new confidence along with team spirit was seen in quite a while.

The book describes Wright's appointment to the job and he tells us about his experience from the moment he landed to the moment he took off. The Cricketing board's meetings over tea, the ruckus that the meetings would turn out to be and above all, we get to see the apathy of the cricket board. Most of it we already know, but much is said, albeit between the lines.

The most fascinating thing for me in the book was the discovery of John Wright as the-not-so-quiet-coach. While in the limelight of things, he never spoke out much to the press. He kept to himself and his job and we always thought here was a soft coach we have who may buckle under the pressure of being in an unknown place. But as one read the book, we get to know the reprimanding side of the coach, who'd settle for nothing less than the best from the boys. He mentions many not-so-dirty-incidents of the dressing room that though make interesting read, fail to lift eyebrows. Mind you. NO NAMES ARE MENTIONED.

Nevertheless, it is a very good read and worth spending money on if you would like to see the Indian cricketing scene from the eyes of a good coach. It is an account of an honest man, who did much for Indian Cricket (read trainers, physio and proper equipments and facilities, previously not available). This one isn't sensational but definitely gets you a few laughs. Here are some excerpts to help you decide on reading it.

ON TEAM SELECTIONS:
"The first six or seven selections were straightforward. But when it got down to the marginal selections, those last three or four spots that determine the balance of the team and your ability to develop new players, the zonal factor kicked in and things would get interesting," he wrote.
"It was easy to tell when selectors had come to a meeting with an agenda... If their boys weren't picked, they tended to cross their arms, clam up and take no further part in the meeting."


Care to guess who Wright's talking about here?

"In Jodhpur, a guy with the biggest diamond ear-studs I'd ever seen wandered into our viewing area as if it was his private box. I went nuts demanding to know who the hell he was and, more to the point, who the hell he thought he was. The answer to both questions was that he was India's biggest beer baron." [page 43] - it's the one and only Vijay Mallya!


The Experience that was India...
"People would stop me in the street to thank for being 'our' coach. It was humbling, but also guilt-inducing, because many of those who thanked me for doing a well-paid job that I loved led lives of day-to-day struggle. The gratitude and support I received from ordinary Indians was the most positive force I've ever encountered, in that it simultaneously lifted me and kept my feet on the ground." [page 70]

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