Ishmael Beah Timeline and Summary

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• In January of 1993, Ishmael is 12 years old when his home village, Mogbwemo, is attacked while he's away visiting friends in neighboring Mattru Jong.
• Eventually, Mattru Jong is attacked as well and Ishmael, his brother, Junior, and four other friends are forced to wander the countryside looking for food and desperately trying to survive.
• Ishmael and his friends are captured by a group of rebels, but manage to escape in some confusion when gunshots start coming from the forest.
• Later, they're captured by guards in a local village who think Ishmael and his friends might actually be rebels. The boys are about to be killed when the village chief discovers Ishmael's rap tapes and decides to let them go.
• Ishmael and his friends spend some time in Kamator where they work in the fields farming until the rebels attack that village, too.
• Ishmael hides in the bush with one of his friends for a few weeks before deciding to set out on his own.
• Ishmael and six other boys are captured by another group of villagers living by the Atlantic Ocean and are, once again, saved by hip hop.
• Ishmael gets word that his family is living in a nearby village and he and his friends head there to meet them.
• But just before they're able to set foot in the village, rebels attack and Ishmael misses his chance for a family reunion.
• Eventually, Ishmael and his remaining friends arrive in Yele where they think things will be safe because the army of Sierra Leone is stationed there.
• Ishmael is recruited to join the army. He gets a gun and fights rebels in the forest and watches two of his friends die right before his eyes.
• Ishmael spends the next two years serving as a soldier in the army of Sierra Leone. He also spends most of the time high on drugs and committing unspeakable acts of violence.
• In January of 1996, Ishmael is taken by UNICEF aid workers to a rehabilitation center in Freetown.
• Things don't go so smoothly at first, but eventually, Ishmael is able to trust the staff at the rehab center, stop blaming himself, and start the healing process.
• In September of 1996, Ishmael is selected to travel to New York City to speak in front of the United Nations about the effects on war on children. He knows firsthand.
• In November of 1996, Ishmael moves in with his last remaining family member—his Uncle Tommy—and begins a new life in Freetown.
• In May 1997, rebels attack Freetown and take over the city.
• Ishmael stays for a few months in Freetown, but then realizes things are just getting too dangerous. He calls Laura Simms and asks if he can come live with her in New York. She says you betcha.
• Ishmael starts a dangerous journey to nearby Guinea where he's able to get on a plane and make it to the United States.
• Ishmael arrives in New York City and goes to live with Laura Simms, who eventually adopts him.
• In high school Ishmael's friends ask about the war, but Ishmael doesn't want to reveal his past as a child soldier. Not yet, at least.
• But even from the safety of New York City, Ishmael still has dreams of Sierra Leone and the horrible things he was forced to do to survive.