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Reviews
Tears Of The Desert: One Woman's True Story Of Surviving The Horrors Of Darfur by Halima Bashir
sarahs_readingparty's review
5.0
This memoir was an inspiring story of survival. Though I've read news stories about Darfur before, experiencing the human side is much more powerful. I highly recommend this book.
barrysweezey's review against another edition
This is the story of a survivor of the government of Sudan's policy of genocide against the black Sudanese in Darfur. The government attacks with weapons bought from China and paid for with oil sold to China. The United Nations is powerless because of the influence of China. Over 400,00 people have died and 2.5 million suffer in refugee camps.
Here 's Nicholas Kristof's article about the book in the New York Times.
Here 's Nicholas Kristof's article about the book in the New York Times.
julie7's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh, it's appears kind of disrespectful to give stars for enjoying this book. It is a harrowing read but is beautifully told and I have nothing but admiration for this young lady. How can fellow human beings be so unkind?
Thank you for having the courage to share and I hope you have found the peace that you deserve.
Warning, this book contains graphic details on torture, rape and FGM.
Thank you for having the courage to share and I hope you have found the peace that you deserve.
Warning, this book contains graphic details on torture, rape and FGM.
lindsayw's review against another edition
4.0
The second half is a lot stronger than the first half. The beginning was quite repetitive, in that it mostly discussed Halima's childhood and schooling, and this involved four or five separate instances wherein she is waiting with baited breath to find out if she passed her exams or not. Given that nearly every time she is at the top of her class, there wasn't a lot of suspense in this.
In the second half, however, Halima's unbelievable bravery and the horrors she endured in Darfur are covered, and suddenly it was much harder to tear myself away from the book. I found that the conflict was portrayed in a very black and white way a lot of the time, but at the same time, I couldn't really be critical, as this was a memoir, and her experiences mean a lot more than my interpretations as far as understanding the conflict goes. Anyway, a very tragic but inspiring read.
In the second half, however, Halima's unbelievable bravery and the horrors she endured in Darfur are covered, and suddenly it was much harder to tear myself away from the book. I found that the conflict was portrayed in a very black and white way a lot of the time, but at the same time, I couldn't really be critical, as this was a memoir, and her experiences mean a lot more than my interpretations as far as understanding the conflict goes. Anyway, a very tragic but inspiring read.
barry_sweezey's review against another edition
This is the story of a survivor of the government of Sudan's policy of genocide against the black Sudanese in Darfur. The government attacks with weapons bought from China and paid for with oil sold to China. The United Nations is powerless because of the influence of China. Over 400,00 people have died and 2.5 million suffer in refugee camps.
Here 's Nicholas Kristof's article about the book in the New York Times.
Here 's Nicholas Kristof's article about the book in the New York Times.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
I am not really sure what draws me to books like this. The Holocaust has long been a part of history that has frightened and moved me. It is a time in the world’s history that is so painful, not to mention shameful. And not just for those who were directly involved. It is a blight on all our records. Stories about the Holocaust are told and re-told, the hope is that the same mistakes won’t be repeated. But they are. Again and again. The Holocaust was not the first instance of genocide nor was it the last. While the murder and rape of hundreds of thousands of black Africans in Darfur has not been labeled as genocide by the United Nations, it is still an atrocity that cannot be justified.
In the winter of 2003, the Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement acted out against the injustice they saw taking place in their country. Black Africans were being oppressed and treated like second class citizens by the government. The government retaliated with more violence, taking it to an entirely different level. Not only were the soldiers in the rebellion targeted, but the innocent as well. Children and women are being raped, entire villages wiped out, and survivors are forced to leave the country or hide or risk certain death. The Sudan government controls the media within the country and has continuously tried to control the truth going out.
Halima Bashir is just one person who was caught up in the conflict. Her memoir, Tears of the Desert, is her attempt at giving voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been murdered and displaced by the Darfur conflict.
Darfur. I know to you this must be a word soaked in suffering and blood. A name that conjures up terrible images of a dark horror and an evil without end. Pain and cruelty on a magnitude inconceivable in most of the civilized world. But to me Darfur means something quite different. It was and is that irreplaceable, unfathomable joy that is home. [pg 4:]
I thought that Halima Bashir did an excellent job of painting a more complete picture of Darfur for someone like me, who has never traveled to Sudan or experienced a life like the one she has lived. The love for her country, her village and her family came through—I could not help but love them too.
In the winter of 2003, the Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement acted out against the injustice they saw taking place in their country. Black Africans were being oppressed and treated like second class citizens by the government. The government retaliated with more violence, taking it to an entirely different level. Not only were the soldiers in the rebellion targeted, but the innocent as well. Children and women are being raped, entire villages wiped out, and survivors are forced to leave the country or hide or risk certain death. The Sudan government controls the media within the country and has continuously tried to control the truth going out.
Halima Bashir is just one person who was caught up in the conflict. Her memoir, Tears of the Desert, is her attempt at giving voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who have been murdered and displaced by the Darfur conflict.
Darfur. I know to you this must be a word soaked in suffering and blood. A name that conjures up terrible images of a dark horror and an evil without end. Pain and cruelty on a magnitude inconceivable in most of the civilized world. But to me Darfur means something quite different. It was and is that irreplaceable, unfathomable joy that is home. [pg 4:]
I thought that Halima Bashir did an excellent job of painting a more complete picture of Darfur for someone like me, who has never traveled to Sudan or experienced a life like the one she has lived. The love for her country, her village and her family came through—I could not help but love them too.
jbdunn's review against another edition
5.0
Oof this was hard to read, emotionally and psychologically. The beginning of Dr. Halima Bashir's story is clearly a story of privilege, with a very progressive father who wanted his smart daughter to become a doctor. As she grows up and faces discrimination, she tries to keep her head down and ignore the growing differences between Arabs and Darfuri and overcomes several instances of racism. She regularly refers to the jihad and the violence but it seems far away. You get a sense of an encroaching tide, getting closer and closer.
The second part of the book, the tide has arrived and suddenly she is underwater. She tries to simply treat patients, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of their side in the violence, but she keeps getting in trouble. The trouble escalates and suddenly the violence is so personal and it keeps getting worse. Personally, while I know what is happening in Sudan and I've seen the newscasts, I was not prepared for what happens to her. Even after she escapes to England, she is threatened with being sent back to Sudan, being told that it is safe for her.
While reading, I wanted it to be a story, not a real event, but Halima's voice is so informal, it could be a girlfriend. And my heart hurt as if I knew her.
On a simple writing standpoint, the writing is pretty simple and there are plenty of times that she glosses over events and situations that I wish she would explain but I stopped caring about it pretty early on. I felt like I could hear her voice, telling me what had happened.
Recommended by Maggie Carroll
The second part of the book, the tide has arrived and suddenly she is underwater. She tries to simply treat patients, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of their side in the violence, but she keeps getting in trouble. The trouble escalates and suddenly the violence is so personal and it keeps getting worse. Personally, while I know what is happening in Sudan and I've seen the newscasts, I was not prepared for what happens to her. Even after she escapes to England, she is threatened with being sent back to Sudan, being told that it is safe for her.
While reading, I wanted it to be a story, not a real event, but Halima's voice is so informal, it could be a girlfriend. And my heart hurt as if I knew her.
On a simple writing standpoint, the writing is pretty simple and there are plenty of times that she glosses over events and situations that I wish she would explain but I stopped caring about it pretty early on. I felt like I could hear her voice, telling me what had happened.
Recommended by Maggie Carroll
cateresa's review against another edition
5.0
A story that brings home OUR vital responsibility to help stop a genocide.
Halima begins her story with a beautifully evocative portrait of a bright, talented girl growing up in a close-knit family and a culturally rich village. She made me long deeply for a healthy rural Africa.
She continues to describe all the horrors that happened to her, neighbors, family and an entire region. Horrors that have not yet stopped, and that, as described in the epilogue, are powerfully supported politically and financially (oil for arms) by the Chinese. A must read.
Halima begins her story with a beautifully evocative portrait of a bright, talented girl growing up in a close-knit family and a culturally rich village. She made me long deeply for a healthy rural Africa.
She continues to describe all the horrors that happened to her, neighbors, family and an entire region. Horrors that have not yet stopped, and that, as described in the epilogue, are powerfully supported politically and financially (oil for arms) by the Chinese. A must read.
photosong's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, riveting and very emotional. I was caught up from the very start, and even after finishing the book, it sits with me.