History will be made on Monday, Nov. 19. The first public appearance of Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier from Sierra Leone, and Alusine Kamara, the man who helped Beah regain his life back, will be held exclusively at UT.

"This has the potential to be a very powerful evening.Amy Blakely, assistant director of media relationsThis has the potential to be a very powerful evening," said Amy Blakely, assistant director of media relations.

At 7 p.m. in the Cox Auditorium of the Alumni Memorial Building, both Beah and Kamara will recount their experiences with war and the remarkable friendship they share. Brian Barber, director of the Center for the Study of Youth and Political Violence, is responsible for arranging this reunion.

Their stories will give students a view on war and tragedy that "you just don't get from any news station," said Blakely.

Beah was 12 years old when his village was attacked by rebels, so he was forced to wander the country without a home or a family. By age 13, he was captured by the government's army. There Beah was trained to kill and given drugs to enhance his combat skills.

Eventually he was released by the army to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, run by Alusine Kamara. Beah had been so traumatized from his experiences in war that he had trouble functioning as a normal human being. However, with the aid of Kamara and the rehabilitation center, Beah was able to cope with what he had done and move on with life.

Mr. Beah's book is a bright candle in the darkness of our human failure to defend the human rights of chBetsy Campbell, former Director of War Child USAildren.Beah goes even more in depth about his life in his new book, "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." Time magazine described this book as "a breathtaking and unselfpitying account of how a gentle spirit survives a childhood from which all innocence has suddenly been sucked out..."

Right after Beah and Kamara speak, a book signing will be held in Room 158 of Alumni Memorial Building, and copies of "A Long Way Gone" can be purchased.

Betsy Campbell, former director of War Child USA said, "Mr. Beah's book is a bright candle in the darkness of our human failure to defend the human rights of children. His long and well told journey is a testament that we must never view these children as lost."