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shelflife's review against another edition
4.0
This is a tough book for me to review, also on how to
cadence59's review against another edition
4.0
This book moved me greatly. One of my student workers is from Rwanda, and she recommended it. Clementine’s story is so important to read, to recognize the humanity in her story - and the atrocious inhumanity that happens when we stop listening to and recognizing who others are.
kelseygrachek's review against another edition
4.0
This woman is the very definition of strength. I never knew much about refugee life or the Rwandan Genocide, but this book made me feel a tiny tiny fraction of the fear, anger and hurt that these girls must have lived through.
maggiemccoy13's review against another edition
5.0
I rarely write reviews of books. This book was both a page turner and a very challenging read for me. I feel embarrassed by the fact that I know so little about this conflict while being the same age as the author. I also feel challenged to learn more about this conflict, especially since genocides and wars like the one in Rwanda are not a think of the past. I definitely highly recommend this book!
zoemig's review against another edition
4.0
The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya (co-written with Elizabeth Weil) is an incredible true story of survival. Wamariya was six years old when she and her older sister fled the Rwandan massacre and spent the next six years wandering through seven African countries, searching for safety, not knowing what had happened to their family, before finally being granted asylum in the United States.
Rather than being a detailed non-fiction account of precisely all the events that occurred, The Girl Who Smiled Beads is a memoir about the human experience and what it was like to live through the things she did. Wamariya's voice is so powerful, and the audiobook, which I listened to, has excellent narration by Robin Miles as well as a bonus discussion by Wamariya at the end. My only complaint was that I found the timeline difficult to follow, especially on audiobook (my hard copy has the year at the beginning of each chapter, but the audio narration did not). The Girl Who Smiled Beads is at once honest, emotional, passionate, and inspiring. Wamariya's story will definitely stick with me.
Rather than being a detailed non-fiction account of precisely all the events that occurred, The Girl Who Smiled Beads is a memoir about the human experience and what it was like to live through the things she did. Wamariya's voice is so powerful, and the audiobook, which I listened to, has excellent narration by Robin Miles as well as a bonus discussion by Wamariya at the end. My only complaint was that I found the timeline difficult to follow, especially on audiobook (my hard copy has the year at the beginning of each chapter, but the audio narration did not). The Girl Who Smiled Beads is at once honest, emotional, passionate, and inspiring. Wamariya's story will definitely stick with me.
sarahmontplaisirklueber's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
jennliney's review against another edition
5.0
I knew very little about the Rwanda genocide before reading this book and I still know very little. While I didn't always love the style of the book, the story is compelling and Clemantine and her sister Claire have lived incredible lives. 5 stars for the story itself since this is a book that isn't meant to be reviewed.