Carrie
2.8.11
Humanities Core 1
Unfeeling by Ian Holding
The story takes place in Zimbabwe.
Davey’s parents, Joe and Leigh, had
owned a farm, but the government had
redistributed their land (without their
permission), and they were evicted.
Joe and Leigh were savagely murdered by
the militia after they refused to leave their
farm. Davey was in the attic at the time.
The book mainly focuses
Davey’s recovery from
traumatic experience, and
journey to try and avenge
parents’ death.
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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
The main characters of these stories,
Davey Baker and Ishmael Beah, are young
students living in Africa, but their families
are both brutally murdered.
The story takes place in Sierra Leone.
Both books demonstrate extremely corrupt governments.
Unfeeling is a story about a family’s farm being “reclaimed,” and
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a memoir about a
boy whose village is attacked by the Revolutionary United Front
(RUF).
Davey Baker and Ishmael Beah are both put under
the care of family/friends after their ordeals. Davey is
placed with Marsha and Mike De Wet (who he refers
to as his aunt and uncle), and Ishmael is placed with
his Uncle Tommy.
Davey and Ishmael are able
to overcome their obstacles
and move on with their lives.
Ishmael was a boy living in a small
village. While on his way to a talent
show, him and his friends witness a
village being attacked by the RUF, as
well as their own. They all escape, but
Ishmael is eventually recruited as a
child soldier by the RUF.
Ishmael does not actually witness his
family’s death, however he is informed
later that his parents and brother were
killed.
The book mainly focuses on
Ishmael’s experiences as a
child soldier, as well as his
recovery afterwards.