Journal Two from Josh

Hi I am Josh. I'm 19 years old. I'm from Powell, Ohio and I still live there and commute up to Marion for classes. I also work part time at my Uncle's car wash as an assistant manager. I was originally planning on going to school at Cincinnati but I've always wanted to continue my families legacy as being a Buckeye. At home I live with my parents. I am also an only child. I ran Track in high school. I received All-Ohio honors my senior year and my relay team placed third at states. In my spare time I like to watch sports. I mostly watch football. I am a huge Buckeye fan and unfortunately a Bengals fan but I guess that's better than being a Browns fan. I plan on majoring in Athletic Training and look forward to train at the Woody Hayes Center in Columbus when that time comes.

After reading the first chapter of A Long Way Gone, the theme that stuck out to me the most was innocence. Ishmael starts off the book talking about his childhood friends and him having fun and enjoying rapping and listening to rap music (6-7), which was surprising to me considering it is a part of American culture. Then suddenly the rebels had attack and their childhood flashed before their eyes. The war would end their childhood and they would be forced to run and hide or fight. Also Ishmael's view changed completely from before his village was attacked to after. The first chapter really shows how much is affected by war.