Beah was 12 years old when he fled his village after it was attacked by "rebels", members of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). He wandered the war-filled country until he was brainwashed and recruited into an army unit of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces that forced him to use guns and drugs. By 13 years old, he had perpetrated and witnessed numerous acts of violence. Three years later, UNICEF rescued him from the unit and put him into a rehabilitation program that helped him find his uncle, who would eventually adopt him. After his return to civilian life, he began traveling the United States recounting his story.
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