Ishmael Beah will speak in Alumni Arena to thousands of students and community members on Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.
Beah is the published author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, which is the UB Reads Program's book selection for this academic year.
Forced to join the army at age 12, Beah lived through hell, finding he was capable of committing horrible acts including murder. After being rescued by UNICEF, Beah wrote a memoir of his experiences that has become an inspiration to all those who have read his book.
Since the beginning of the UB Reads Program, there have been efforts to correlate the program to the Distinguished Speaker Series.
"When we pick a book, we have to try to find an author that can speak and find a book that both the faculty and students will like," said Andrea Costantino, director of Student Life.
According to Costantino, the correlation between the UB Reads Program and the Distinguished Speaker Series began with the start of the program in 2000. John Glenn's own book, John Glenn: A Memoir, was the first examined in association with the speaker series.
Costantino said that the point of the series is to facilitate communication and relationships between students and professors.
"Each year a group of students, faculty and staff get together to find a book students will actually read and one that is thought-provoking and gives students a chance to talk outside of the classroom with faculty members," Costantino said.
There has been overwhelming student interest in both reading Beah's memoir and hearing him speak. Student Life, which gives students copies of the UB Reads book, has seen an increase in student participation, according to Costantino.
"We gave away close to 4,000 copies of the book and we had to order more," Costantino said. "People are still showing interest even as of this week."
The students participating in this year's UB Reads Program are already familiar with Beah's life after reading his memoir, and many are excited to have the boy soldier as part of this year's Distinguished Speaker Series.
Natalie Ramsahai, a sophomore nursing major, read Beah's memoir while researching child warfare and child soldiers. She was excited to hear that this notable author will be speaking on Wednesday.
"After reading the book, I thought that I would love to see him in person and hear him speak about his life and the things he's doing to help children who are soldier victims in Africa," Ramsahai said. "I would also like to hear him talk about the influence of American culture and how it helped him survive."
Costantino said that the relationship that is fostered between the students and faculty will benefit the UB community as a whole.
"It's not about one particular topic; it's about having a common topic or theme to talk (about)," Costantino said. "It really relates to faculty and staff interaction, which is really what we're trying to foster here."
The relationships between students and faculty are directly linked to a higher student retention rate, as well as more students graduating each year, according to Costantino.
"Students who have good relationships with faculty members are shown to be more likely to succeed in school," Costantino said. "That's really what we're trying to achieve."
According to Ramsahai, Beah's visit should serve to furnish a common ground and common communication within an otherwise extremely diverse academic setting.
"It can definitely give people something to talk about," Ramsahai said. "More importantly, it can really give you something to think about and to make people more aware of the world around them."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
