When growing up, family is always there for each other with unconditional love. They will do anything for each other and throughout their lives they turn to family for support and advice. This is not said for Ishmael Beah in A Long Way Gone. He was never in a "perfect" idealistic family due to his parents living in different villages for most of his life. The feeling of loneliness and independence was not new to him. Unlike Beah, Mariatu Kamara, from A Bite of the Mango, has a very healthy and intimate relationship with everyone in her village. “In my country it was common for children in rural areas to be raised by people other than their natural parents” (Kamara 13). They all act as if they are her close relatives and also she depends on them immensely. Beah and Mariatu were both children heavily involved in the war, forced to deal with problems in their country that weren't theirs to begin with. “The war in Sierra Leone has its origins in a long history of corrupt and predatory civilian and military governments that laid the foundations for a decades-long insurgency, destroyed state institutions, and left the country vulnerable to external manipulation” (Rice 1). While battling emotional and physical hardships during the war, Mariatu is firmly attached to her family indefinitely, while Beah has the benefit of independence; this is more suitable for survival. While it is a relief that Mariatu was fortunate enough to have her family with her for much of her journey, she was too dependent on them. It seemed like every time they left his emotions became extremely unstable. He trusted people he shouldn't have, because that was the nature of family and the way people were... center of paper... Works Cited Kamara, Mariatu, and Susan McClelland. A bite of mango. Tornoto: Annick. 2008. Print.Rice, Susan. "Prospects for Peace in Sierra Leone". Prospects for peace in Sierra Leone. March 23, 1999: np SIRS Government Reporter. Network. November 14, 2013. "2005 Department of Labor Findings... Preface and Introduction." Department of Labor 2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. 2006: 7-40. SIRS Government Reporter. Network. November 14 2013.