Take a photo of a barcode or cover
923 reviews for:
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil
4.25 AVERAGE
923 reviews for:
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
Clemantine Wamariya, Elizabeth Weil
4.25 AVERAGE
First of all, I want to make it clear that this is not a rating or a review of Clemantine’s life story. That is something that cannot be rated or reviewed. This is a review of the book. I can’t say I “enjoyed” this book, because how can one really enjoy a book about war, genocide, and a child’s struggle through that? However, I CAN say that I was intrigued by this book and the horrors that we experience as readers through Clemantine’s eyes. I was worried it might be more graphic than it was; while I know she experienced graphic violence at way too young an age, she did a nice job explaining it in a less vulgar way. After having just read Small Country, also, I feel much more educated on this tragedy that I quite ignorantly knew nothing about before reading these two books. This book is eye-opening and enlightening.
I didn't super love this book. It's a very heroic story but at times it was really dry.
challenging
emotional
informative
slow-paced
This shed light on the actions that occurred in Rwanda. It also showed the ongoing consequences these actions have even once you escape from the danger.
"I did not understand the point of the word genocide then. I resent and revile it now. the word is tidy and efficient. it holds no true emotion. it is impersonal when it needs to be intimate, cool and sterile when it needs to be gruesome. The word is hollow, true but disingenuous, a performance, the worst kind of lie"
This is one of those books that I believe everyone should read. It is about a terrifying and gruesome time in Rwanda in 1994, where two sisters travel to hell and back a few times. This story will always stay with me.
This is one of those books that I believe everyone should read. It is about a terrifying and gruesome time in Rwanda in 1994, where two sisters travel to hell and back a few times. This story will always stay with me.
Of the millions of refugees and war survivors only a few either get the opportunity to or choose to share their stories broadly. I am appreciative to this author who chose to share so I and others could learn. I recommend reading or listening to this book - hold some space to hear Clementine’s story. This is an opportunity to value others’ humanity.
A survivor of the Rwandan genocide commits to detailing the many consequences of trauma. This memoir is rich in emotion, growth, and history. It presents critical conversations about privilege, religion, and cultural difference. And it pushes thought-provoking reflections on recovery and identity. Im appreciative of the author’s ability to illustrate terror and desperation without facilitating voyeurism. The book’s organization is strategic, engrossing the reader in the plot while also structuring pointed critique and conversation. Above all, I appreciate the author‘s depiction of hopelessly flawed but unquestionably strong familial relationships.
An honest and courageous memoir, that is truly personal and insightful. Wamariya recognises any privilege she may have gained, and the opportunities she has been given, but rightly allows herself to acknowledge and feel the damage of her early experiences.
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced