Child soldier turned author draws crowds at Starbucks
Former African child soldier Ismael Beah is packing out Starbucks on his promotional tour to support A Long Way Gone, says the Los Angeles Times this morning. The report says….
….It was a surreal scene on a wintry afternoon last week in Manhattan, as more than 150 people jammed into a room that normally holds 30 to 40 customers. When Beah approached a microphone to read several passages from his book, espresso makers were noisily steaming away in the back of the cafe. A few customers, oblivious, continued private conversations.
“I’m going to read a section about when I was trying to run away from the war,” the author said, getting ready to read passages filled with graphic, stomach-turning violence. “And then, perhaps, you can all finish your food.” The crowd laughed, but fell silent as Beah began.
