Journal 7 by Daniel Scheiderer

I think my favorite character in the book besides Ismael, is probably Esther.  I like her because she treats him like just another human and not like a child solider.  She cares about him and wants him to be okay. In chapter 17 she uses music to help get to Ismael and I thought that was really smart of her because she knew what he liked and used it for her. She also had real sympathy for him when he shared his stories.  I don't think that the rehabilitation will work exactly like it should. Do I think it will be helpful? yes.  I just don't think it will ever bring him back to normal. I personally wouldn't mind if Ismael lived in my neighborhood i just wouldn't want him to be my neighbor, maybe like a couple streets down. I just wouldn't want him to lash out on my family.  I think that Beah really does a good job on giving you a great image, like when he talks about the red sap coming from a tree and it reminds him of blood, it gives us a sense of his memories and his view on things.  My favorite line in the book is on page 165 and the very last passage, it is my favorite because it really shows that Ismael has a soft side and that someone (Esther) really cares about him and really understands what he has gone through and he finally has someone to talk to. "At first she just listen to me, and then gradually she started asking questions to make me talk about the lives I had lived before and during the war, "none of these things are your fault"..."(Beah).