Thursday, May 28

4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Ishmael Beah, born in Sierra Leone, is the author of New York Times bestseller A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - named one of TIME magazine's Top 10 Nonfiction Books of 2007.

Following the outbreak of a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, Beah fled from the rebel attack that killed his parents and two brothers. At the age of 13, he was recruited as a child soldier for the government army and fought for more than 2 years before being rescued by UNICEF. At the age of 18, Beah came to live in New York City, where he completed high school. He later graduated from Oberlin College.

Beah recently published his first novel, Radiance of Tomorrow. He is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for children affected by war and a member of the Human Rights Watch Children's Rights Division Committee. He is also the cofounder of the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW) and president of the Ishmael Beah Foundation. For more information, please visit www.ishmaelbeah.com.