Review of A Long Way Gone

When I began reading the book I had realized that I had seen a movie similar to this. I am not sure if it was a movie based on this book or just a movie that was about boy soldiers. I have always been kind of in shock when it comes to reading or watching things on this topic because you can just imagine what all those children must be going through at such a young age. At a very young age they are torn apart from their families either because they are killed, taken away, or even worse because they themselves killed their parents and siblings. I wonder how much fear, frustration, and hopelessness these children must feel to be put in such a position where their lives depend on killing their own parents. Now, I have always thought that these kinds of Rebels that recruit children are heartless evil human beings because of all the corruption and suffering that they are causing to all these villages and families. But whenI listened to an interview with Ishmael Beah on an African radio station I found out something that I never really thought about and that was why these rebels recruit children. They recruit children because they can be psychologically manipulated more easily than an adult and since most of these children have been left as orphans they know that they have nothing else to live for so they eventually become these killing machines. Children will do things that sometimes adults don't have the guts to do themselves. Eventually these children didn't even know what it was to actually kill someone because it became a routine and as common as drinking a glass of water. This story is very inspirational because Ishmael having experienced all this was able to survive and better his life whether by destiny or luck. Unfortunately, I am sure there were children that didn't survive this and children possibly still experiencing this and these are the children that we need to save from that. Every child had the right to be a kid and not have to be a boy soldier or be exploited.

Research on Sierra Leone

*English is Sierra Leones official lanaguage but only the educated can speak it
*Portuguese explorers named it Sierra Leone for the crashing noise the waves made against the peninsular mountains.
*People usually hiss to get people's attention and say Ah Sey! ( I say).
* O holidays children usually go door-to-door, sing, or dance asking for money.

Their flag consists of three horizontal stripes and the colors are green, white, and blue. The green represents the resources of the land/earth, the white peace, and the blue the coastal waters.

Religion
Muslims make up 60 percent of the population. Most adhere to the Sunni branch of Islam. Today, 10 percent of Sierra Leoneans are Christian. Religious affiliation crosses ethnic and family lines. Sierra Leoneans of different faiths live in harmony because of their willingness to accept various beliefs as part of their eclectic (rather than exclusive) approach to religion. Most people believe in a supreme being, lesser deities, and a spirit world. Approximately 30 percent of the population practices traditional beliefs exclusively. Those who convert to a formal religion also usually retain traditional animist beliefs, especially because animism (the belief that spirits inhabit both living things and inanimate objects) is tied to daily life. Participation in secret societies, where socio-religious activities take place, is high—even among Christians and Muslims. For example, nearly all women participate in the secret Bondo society, where they dance, initiate new members, and share lessons about womanhood.

General attitudes
Sierra Leoneans identify first with their ethnic group and then with Sierra Leone, which residents often refer to as Salone.People tend to be realistic and practical about their circumstances, which enables them to bear difficult situations. Two common Krio expressions are Na so God say (It is God's will) andOw fo do? (What can you do?), to which the response is Na fo biah (You must bear it).Education is valued as the key to a better way of life. Urban people strive for material wealth because it is a sign of security. There isn't much of a hierarchy, but people of wealth are usually respected more. 

Personal Appearance
Men and boys usually wear Western-style clothing. Rural women wear lappas, two yards of ankle-length cloth tied about the waist and topped with an African or Western blouse. The women's heads are often covered, wrapped with fabric that matches the lappa. The fabric is typically brightly colored cotton cloth imported from Europe and Asia. Urban women may wear trousers or skirts. Outside of urban areas, shorts are rarely worn by anyone except young boys. A growing number of urban teenage girls wear shorts. Young urban professionals typically wear Western clothing in addition to more traditional attire. A young man may wear a Western-style suit one day and a traditional kaftan (a long-sleeved shift that extends past the knee) the next.Maintaining a good appearance, regardless of the weather or one's wealth, is a priority. On special occasions, people wear traditional clothing, often made from gara (locally dyed cotton brocade) and batik (fabric printed by coating with wax the areas not to be dyed).

Gestures
Woman can't whistle because it is considered disrespectful. To express displeasure in a ride way people may suck teeth. Members of the same sex usually stay close together holding hands or maintaining close body contact when talking ( it is rare for members of the opposite sex to do this).

Eating
Traditional meals usually are served on a large platter with a bed of rice and a smallamount of sauce 
in the center. The sauce is not mixed with the rice. Bones are left in thefood; soft ones are eaten and harder ones are put aside. In many homes, the husband may be served separately, while thewife and children eat together. When visitors are present, adults eat from the commonplatter; children may be given spoonfuls of rice in their hands or a separate bowl. Invillages, people eat with the right hand 
while squatting on the ground. In towns, spoonsand chairs are more common. People drink only after the meal. At the end of a meal, abowl of water is passed around for washing the face and hands. Restaurants aregenerally found only in cities. Roadside vendors sell foods such as bread and margarine,grilled meat and fish, fried potatoes, fried plantains, fruit, and roasted groundnuts(peanuts).

Marriage
pregnancy among young girls is common. Most rural marriages are arranged. In urban areas, the majority of young people choose their spouses, though certain ethnic groups (such as Fullahs, Madingos, and Susus) practice arranged marriage regardless of the area. Those who choose their own spouses still seek approval from their parents. Courtship is nearly always initiated by the man. 
Women do not generally approach men directly. Dating without intending to marry is accepted in urban areas but not in villages.Men wait to marry until they are financially able to support a wife. In villages, a marriage may be arranged at any age, but it does not formally take place until the girl reaches puberty. The prospective husband agrees to pay the bride's parents a marriage payment after a great deal of negotiating and, sometimes, input from the whole village. In recent years, the bride price has become less important as parents are more concerned with finding a good match for their daughter and ensuring that the man is able to support a wife. Engagements are 
important ceremonies in which the two families gather and the bride price is paid. The prospective groom usually does not attend the engagement ceremony because this is a chance for the older members of his family to meet and assess the girl's family without being swayed by the man's feelings.
Polygamy is common among Muslims and traditional rulers but is not practiced by Christians. Infidelity in men is both widespread and tolerated. Women are generally seen as more committed in 
relationships, and it would be shameful for a woman to have an extra-marital affair. Divorce is 
extremely rare in rural areas but happens occasionally in the cities. There is considerable stigma associated with divorce, and many people find it difficult to remarry after a divorce.

Education
Primary school begins at age six. Entrance to secondary school is determined by students' scores on the National Primary School Certificate (NPSC). Secondary school is divided into two levels: lower (which students begin at age 11 or 12) and upper (which begins at age 14 or 15 and ends at age 18 or 19). Students take the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in order to proceed from 
lower to upper secondary school. In upper secondary school, students may choose certain electives 
while still studying the basic subjects.

When family resources are limited, parents usually choose to send boys to school rather than girls. Boys may also be more encouraged to study, while girls usually are expected to help with a greater share of the household chores. Many children must earn their own school fees because their families cannot afford to pay them. About 70 percent of girls and nearly 80 percent of boys complete primary school. About one-third of students enroll in secondary schooling, where the completion rate is quite low.

Local education, “bush schools,” or secret societies teach children skills and customs perceived as necessary by village elders. Such training prepares children to join society as adults.
Few students go on to higher education. In order to enter university, students must pass the West African Senior School Certificate Exam, which is taken by students in English-speaking countries throughout West Africa. Sierra Leone has several teacher-training colleges and universities.

Review of Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party

"Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party" was a very interesting book to read. It was different than other books I have read. I knew that at some point in time China had been communist, but I had no idea about the communist revolution, how it took place and what exactly happened until I did some research and read the book.

Along with Ling I was confused when Comrade Li began to do some heinous acts against all these innocent people. I wasn't surprised that he turned out to be part of the Red Guards, but instead I was surprised at what looked like his two-faced character. The moment people came in to search Ling's house I knew something was wrong and whatever or whoever was coming was not going to be very nice.

The reasons behind the revolution that they seem to give in the book, like "building a better China" I thought were ridiculous considering the acts of these revolutionaries. They did horrible things to high class people because according to them they were bourgeois, I had never heard of that word before. but once I looked it up I found out that it means that they are middle/high class people who are seen as materialistic and that exploit the working class. This to me made me angry; just because people have degrees and are able to live well because of their hard work and education doesn't mean that they are mean people that exploit the working class. And it definitely doesn't mean that they should be tortured.

The Red Guards and Chairman Mao are people who don't have a heart. They tried to brainwash people into thinking that he would bring China a better future. They are people who are selfish and dominating. The communist revolution wasn't because they wanted to give China a better future by balancing out the social classes and rationing everything to achieve that, the reason behind these kinds of acts only have one explanation. They try to make it seem as if what they want is everyone to be equal and for no one to be above anyone, but in reality all they want it power. They want to ration and control what people do and how much they earn so that they can benefit from it all.

Like in the book when Ling went to the market with her mother, there were boxes with names on them and all of them had meat and other necessities that the rest of the population needed, but couldn't have. And what names were on those boxes? They had names of Comrades and Chairman Mao. They tortured people considered "high class" for being materialistic, selfish, and exploiting the lower class, yet they started to do the same by having privileges they were taking away from others. Their words and their actions didn't connect.

Although most of the books we have read in class have stirred up some mixed feelings of anger, melancholy, and hatred I really enjoyed reading this book. Reading these books have showed me of all the things that have happened or are currently happening in our world that we have been to ignorant to know. It not only has opened up my mind to read of such things, but because they are written behind the lens of someone who has experienced it, it has made me connect on a much more personal level. Most of the time you can read or hear about it on the news, but you don't hear much of the personal stories  of people who experienced these tragedies. To conclude my review, I know that the book ends happily with Ling reunited with both her parents, but I wonder what were the odds of that happening and how many happy endings there actually were during the revolution?

Research on China and the Chinese Revolution

Interesting Facts
1. Even though China is smaller than the United States it has about four times as many people.
2. Out of about 50,000 Chinese characters only 8,000 are used and 1,500 are needed for basic literacy.
3. Standard Chinese or Mandarin are based of a Beijing dialect and it is the national language.

History
China is one of the oldest civilizations going back as far as 4,000 years. It has been mostly ruled by Dynasties. The first one, Xia Dynasty was established around 2,000 BC. So, in about 4,000 years it has had around 28 dynasties and around 400 emperors. The Qin Dynasty ( 221-206 BC) was the first that unified China and built he Great Wall. The Han Dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD)  is considered the first Golden Age of China and the trade route and the Silk Road between Asia and Europe flourished. The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD)a woman emperor appointed appointed foreign scholars as senior officials in the royal court.

Education
Nine years of school are compulsory. A selection Exam is given before entering high school to be placed in the most prestigious high schools with a better chance of moving onto a better university. High schools and universities are not free and require a tuition, usually paid by parents or a sponsor whom the student signs a contract with and has to work for for a couple of years after graduation. The literacy is 90% for people 15 years and up. They go to school for five to six days a week and hours spent on homework depend on how good he school is.

The Chinese Communist Revolution
It was in 1949 and it was was the culmination of the Chinese Communist Party's drive to power since its founding in 1921 and the second part of Chinese Civil War (1946–1949). In the official media, this period is known as the War of Liberation.On the eve of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, theKuomintang or Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and theCommunist Party of China(CPC) joined in a United Frontagainst Japan. After the entrance of the United States into the war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two sides maintained the formal alliance, but fought each other on several occasions. In 1945, Stalin's troops invaded from Soviet Outer Manchuria as part of its declaration of war against Japan. After the Japanese surrender in August, the Americans attempted to broker a coalition government in China, but an all-out war between these two forces soon resumed.