Standing before a sold-out crowd in UW Oshkosh’s Albee Hall March 10, former child soldier Ishmael Beah said his first impression of America was that it was “the most uncomfortable place in the world.”

A human rights activist and author of “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Childhood Soldier,” Beah told those gathered why he wrote about his journey through the Sierra Leonean civil war and reintegration into society afterward.

Beah graphically described his involvement in the war at age 12 and explained how difficult it was to re-adapt to normal life 16 years later. He also related humorous anecdotes about acclimating to American culture.

The University Speaker Series sponsored the event as well as a book signing for and photo opportunities following the speech. The Speaker Series next will feature UW-Stevens Point graduate and three-time Olympian Suzy Favor Hamilton, who will discuss the “Quest for Perfection” at 8 p.m. April 7 in Room 227 of Reeve Memorial Union, 748 Algoma Blvd.

For more about the Speaker Series, visit www.uwosh.edu/speakers.