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bookreviewswithkb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
5.0
a harrowing personal account of survival amongst intense tragedy, loss, and war. the author’s willingness to share her story in order to bring awareness of the war in Darfur is beyond remarkable, detailing the most personal of details about love and sacrifice and triumph. it’s certainly not an easy read but i highly recommend it, especially for part of a deeper understanding of the personal impact of war on human lives
the conflict, genocide and war continues to rage in Sudan at this present moment. over 10,000 people have been killed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Torture, Genocide, Rape, War, and Sexual violence
mrsjmontalvo's review against another edition
5.0
This is a captivating story, it was difficult to put the book down once I started reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in memoirs of asylees.
madae's review against another edition
5.0
Halima Bashir's memoir of life in Darfur is a powerful and heartbreaking story. Her childhood in a small village was happy, full of Zaghawa traditions. Her father was quite progressive in that he encouraged Halima's independence, her thirst of knowledge and sent her away to school and university. At junior school Halima first experienced the racism between the Arab Africans and Black Africans. The Darfur conflict started to intensify while Halima was studying in university. After becoming a doctor, Halima was assigned to work in a hospital. Halima helped injuired Zaghawa tribesman as much as she could, as she felt all injured or sick people deserved treatment. However, the government started watching her and threatened her. She was reassigned to a remote medical station in a village where she began to secretly treated injured rebel fighters. She also treated schoolgirls and teachers who were brutally raped by the Janjaweeds (Arab fighters). She spoke with UN representatives about the horrific violence of the attack. Some soldiers kidnapped her, repeatedly raped her and then let her live as they figured they had destroyed her spirit. Halima went into hiding after that and eventually escaped to Great Britain.
Her story of survival is amazing. I hope that she eventually in the future can find her mother, two brothers and sister.
The conflict in Darfur is a terrible, horrible, violent conflict. The soldiers and Janjaweed are committing atrocious acts of cold hearted violence against the Zaghawa and others. This book was extremely difficult to read because of this, but I now feel better informed about Darfur.
Her story of survival is amazing. I hope that she eventually in the future can find her mother, two brothers and sister.
The conflict in Darfur is a terrible, horrible, violent conflict. The soldiers and Janjaweed are committing atrocious acts of cold hearted violence against the Zaghawa and others. This book was extremely difficult to read because of this, but I now feel better informed about Darfur.
wafflesandmuffins's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
This was such a difficult book to read. At times I doubted that I could finish it. Of course I always knew about the Darfur genocide and the conflict thats been going on forever now but to read a personal story of someone who went through it for the first time... it's just more agonising.
The sad thing is that the terrible things the janjaweed did back then are exactly what they are doing in Khartoum and in Darfur as of recently . It's heartbreaking. Nothing have changed. It's also ironic that the Sudanese government and Janjaweed committed atrocities in Darfur back then and now they are fighting each other in Khartoum.
What I wasn't aware of was the deep colorism and racism that the African tribes faced from the Arabs. As if we aren't all black at the end of the day..sigh.
The sad thing is that the terrible things the janjaweed did back then are exactly what they are doing in Khartoum and in Darfur as of recently . It's heartbreaking. Nothing have changed. It's also ironic that the Sudanese government and Janjaweed committed atrocities in Darfur back then and now they are fighting each other in Khartoum.
What I wasn't aware of was the deep colorism and racism that the African tribes faced from the Arabs. As if we aren't all black at the end of the day..sigh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Racism, Sexual violence, Child death, and Genocide
writingcaia's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I don’t recommend it if you are those who prefer not to know the terrible things happening in the world, or that can be triggered by the events portrayed in this memoir.
This is but one story that tells of the genocide in Darfur of the Black Muslims.
It starts with a happy childhood, marked with some difficulty accepting some of the traditions of her people, followed by learning the hate from the Arabic Muslims in school, to becoming a doctor among the political tumult and stories of attacks to villages, to Halima being persecuted by working in a hospital and helping others like her, and all that so many suffered in Darfur, to finally after a long period in the U.K. being granted asylum.
I barely remember this happening, and it’s so horrible to perceive how outside, these people, these stories are just numbers and letters on a newscast, but not anymore, not after this book.
This is but one story that tells of the genocide in Darfur of the Black Muslims.
It starts with a happy childhood, marked with some difficulty accepting some of the traditions of her people, followed by learning the hate from the Arabic Muslims in school, to becoming a doctor among the political tumult and stories of attacks to villages, to Halima being persecuted by working in a hospital and helping others like her, and all that so many suffered in Darfur, to finally after a long period in the U.K. being granted asylum.
I barely remember this happening, and it’s so horrible to perceive how outside, these people, these stories are just numbers and letters on a newscast, but not anymore, not after this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, War, Child death, Colonisation, Death of parent, Deportation, Genocide, Racism, Animal death, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism
harmandeau's review
5.0
this is such a good book. thank you halima bashir for opening my eyes to the atrocities in western sudan. i have learned so much about the journey of a refugee and it is heartbreaking. if you’re looking for a gut-wrenching memoir, this is it.
betag1013's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Animal death, Death, Body horror, Stalking, Confinement, Chronic illness, Classism, Murder, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Abandonment, War, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Child death, Colonisation, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Pregnancy, and Racism
sssnoo's review against another edition
4.0
Solid memoir. I learned a great deal about the Darfur conflict and Sudan which was exactly what I wanted from this book.