The TinMan was at a sleepover recently so we went to see Ishmael Beah speak. He is the author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. If you haven't read this book already, I suggest you do. Ishmael was appearing with Kon Kelei, a young man from East Sudan who was recruited to fight with rebels at the age of five - the same age as our TinMan. The talk was inspiring. They said the best thing to do is to talk about what is happening in countries with child soldiers. To keep a dialogue going. I read half of A Long Way Gone a couple of years ago but couldn't finish it because of the saddness I felt. After seeing Ishmael and Kon speak, I picked the book up and read it non-stop. My contribution to the dialogue is to share this book with someone and have them read it and then they can pass it on to someone else. I am asking that each person who reads it please sign it and then email me as to where the book is so I can follow its journey. Once there is no more room for signing, the last person can mail it back to me so I can send it to CSI as a final place to be. The first person to read Ishmael's story is my dear friend Lorraine in Toronto. Talking and communication is important on so many levels. Let's keep the dialogue going and growing.
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