At the age of 13, Ishmael Beah was recruited to fight in a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone as a child soldier, forever reshaping the story of his life. 

Against all odds, he survived and came to the US as a refugee. But not everyone in the US was ready for his story, or for the realities of the world he came from. So he began to write, sharing his story in his memoir, A Long Way Gone, detailing the horrors, triumphs, and hopes of his life as a survivor. 

Today, Ishmael continues to write award winning books, works with the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador, and enlightens us with his incredible insight into the human condition, an insight he says could've only been fashioned by the fires of war.

In this episode, we hear some of Ishmael's remarkable story, reminding us that people are almost never who we think they might be at first glance. He challenges us to listen for the story behind the story we perceive on the surface. As Ishmael says, listening to understand is the start of peacemaking.

Read and share the Principles and Practices of Peacemaking

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Resources from this episode:

• A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah