My high school friends in New York City have begun to suspect I haven't told them the full story of my life.

"Why did you leave Sierra Leone?"

"Because there is war."

"Did you witness some of the fighting."

"Everyone in the country did."

"You mean you saw people running around with guns and shooting each other?"

"Yes, all the time."

"Cool."

I smile a little.

"You should tell us about it sometime."

"Yes, sometime."

Excerpt from a long way gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.