Similarities Between A Long Way Gone And The Bite Of The Mango

In order to fully appreciate and comprehend the themes presented in a pair of novels, a reader must be able to interpret and present both the similarities and differences in each book. In this instance, the pair of novels that call for inspection are A Long Way Gone and The Bite of the Mango. Both novels present an obviously similar beginning setting; however, this does not limit the comparisons (as well as other similarities) that arise as each protagonist progressed through their harrowing experience. Therefore, further inspection of both A Long Way Gone and The Bite of the Mango proves not only the most important similarities present in each book, but also the notable differences. Initially, the stark difference presented when examining both novels is the difference in genders. The author of A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah, is a boy born and raised in a remote, but thriving village, located within the Bonthe District in Sierra Leone (“A Former Child,” Par. 5). Among the confusion, violence, and uncertainty of the war, Beah as well as his friendly, boy companions find a great amount of hostility and mistrust when approaching other villages in hopes of food and shelter. Eventually, Beah and his companions and employed by the army, due to the shortage of able, grown men. This conscription would later change the boys into killing machines, capable of

Ishmael Beah first spoke of the horrors he had witnessed at the “1996 United Nations presentation of the Machel Report on the Impact of Armed Conflict on Children” (“Advocate for Children,” Par. 3). This presentation focused on the devastating effects that war imparts on the children involved. Today, Beah continues to advocate and represent change for the countless number of children still involved in wars around the