Unusual Normality

Ishmael Beah is from which country?

• Africa

• Ivory Coast

• Sierra Leone

• Nigeria

Why did Ishmael have trouble finding a school to attend once he was in the United States?

• He could not pass the entrance exams.

• He had not attended school in his home country.

• He did not speak American English.

• He could not afford the tuition.

• He did not have a report card from his previous school.

How many years did Ishmael fight as a child soldier?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

What are TWO things that Ishmael does as he walked through the city because he had been a soldier in his earlier life? Check TWO answers.

• He made eye contact with everyone who passed him.

• He did not walk the same route twice.

• He noticed how people walked and which direction they came from.

• He refused to sit with his back to the door in school or a restaurant.

• His head is on a "swivel".

What happened in Ishmael's country in the 1990's?

• It became an independent country.

• A war started in the country (civil war).

• The country experienced a natural disaster.

What words best describe the students towards Ishmael?

• uninterested (not interested in him)

• bullies (not nice to him)

• curious and confused

What did Ishmael lose when he was a child soldier?

• his childhood and innocence

• his memories of his family

• his possessions (clothing, shoes, and shirts)

What message did Ishmael want to tell his friends in New York?

• They should not play paintball.

• They were lucky/fortunate to have their family.

• They were not good and serious students.

What group helped Ishmael escape Sierra Leone?

• NPR

• The Walking Dead

• Doctor's Without Borders

• UNICEF

Where does Ishmael eventually come to live?

• Atlantis

• New Jersey

• New York

• Seattle