This book is Ishmael's memoirs as a boy soldier in the war ridden Sierra Leone [South Africa].
Browsing through the internet I got to know that this country is third lowest ranked in the human development index and seventh lowest in the human poverty index. Civil war went over for a decade starting from 1991 to 2000. During this war, different groups, the rebels, army kept fighting, for control over the country. The government was incompetent to handle the situation, and this led to military coup. The civil war continued until some peace was restored in 2001 when UN forces moved in and repressed the rebel army. War was over by 2002 and elections restored democracy by 2007. Over this course of time many thousands of innocent civilians were killed, forced to be homeless and flee for their lives.
Ishmael was born in 1980 in a village called Mogbwemo. He was 12 – 13 when he first experience war. Rebel army started attacking villages, killing indiscriminately and barbarically. He got separated from his family, never saw them again and was lost going from one village to another in hope of finding some shelter, food and more importantly a safe haven. He was with few of his friends initially, made new ones in course of time, which was some solace to him in the madness around.