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
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
I love the story, and I feel strongly that it is a story that needs to be told. However, the style of the writing wasn't my cup of tea. The story jumped locations and time periods too suddenly, so it felt choppy and almost incomplete. Regardless, I would still recommend reading it.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Violence, War
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Colonisation, Classism
inspiring
medium-paced
A few months ago, I started growing my collection of ebooks. Upon looking through the books I had already read, I realized that I was reading a lot of the same types of books from the same types of authors. Weirdly enough, these authors were usually white, straight men. I am a black queer woman...So, naturally I decided that I needed to diversify and quickly. I searched up a bunch of authors from different backgrounds, sexualities, genders, etc. All the fun categories. Then I found books by them. I didn't read the synopses to see what they were about. My only qualification was that it had to have a rating of 4 stars or higher for me to add it to my collection.
All this to say, that I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading. The french title is "La fille au sourire de perles" so no, I didn't see the "A Story of War and What Comes After". I thought it might be a cute coming of age story. I was wholly unprepared for everything that happened after opening that book. It felt like I had just been tossed into this dark world of despair, tragedy, and hopelessness without any warning. But, I feel like that's almost what Clemantine Wamariya wanted. For the readers to feel a sense of confusion and disorientation when reading her memoir, because that's what she herself felt. Jumping back and forth through time, no set locations to trace a cohesive journey, it all contributed to the insanity that was war.
I was curious to see how she planned on ending the memoir. She's still a young woman (I looked her up several times while reading this because it felt so unreal) so it's not like her life is anywhere near complete. I knew I probably wouldn't get a happily ever after. Not after everything that had happened. However, when the ending finally did come, I cried. Not because it was any sadder than the other parts of the memoir, but because it hit me that I was right. No one really got their happy ending. I wasn't aware I was doing it, but while I was reading I kept anticipating the break. The point where the family would break down and cry together before retrieving their lost connection like in a movie. It was such a childish hope. So stupid and simplistic. Especially considering everything that I had read. I didn't even realize I was harbouring it until I was confronted with those last story-like pages that lacked an ending. So yes, I cried. Because Clemantine Wamariya showed me the far-reaching, long-term effects of genocide and war and terror when all I wanted was an interesting read.
Anyway, no regrets. I'm very glad I decided to add this to my collection. It isn't something I would've read otherwise. Now, I'm not going to say this book deeply changed me, because I'm always very suspicious of people who say that (I'm cynical, tragically). But I will say this book gave me perspective, and that is an important thing to have. Especially when you're privileged enough to live in a country where you will probably never have to face any of this. So thank you for sharing the pieces of your story Clemantine Wamariya. I deeply appreciated the journey.
All this to say, that I had no idea what this book was about before I started reading. The french title is "La fille au sourire de perles" so no, I didn't see the "A Story of War and What Comes After". I thought it might be a cute coming of age story. I was wholly unprepared for everything that happened after opening that book. It felt like I had just been tossed into this dark world of despair, tragedy, and hopelessness without any warning. But, I feel like that's almost what Clemantine Wamariya wanted. For the readers to feel a sense of confusion and disorientation when reading her memoir, because that's what she herself felt. Jumping back and forth through time, no set locations to trace a cohesive journey, it all contributed to the insanity that was war.
I was curious to see how she planned on ending the memoir. She's still a young woman (I looked her up several times while reading this because it felt so unreal) so it's not like her life is anywhere near complete. I knew I probably wouldn't get a happily ever after. Not after everything that had happened. However, when the ending finally did come, I cried. Not because it was any sadder than the other parts of the memoir, but because it hit me that I was right. No one really got their happy ending. I wasn't aware I was doing it, but while I was reading I kept anticipating the break. The point where the family would break down and cry together before retrieving their lost connection like in a movie. It was such a childish hope. So stupid and simplistic. Especially considering everything that I had read. I didn't even realize I was harbouring it until I was confronted with those last story-like pages that lacked an ending. So yes, I cried. Because Clemantine Wamariya showed me the far-reaching, long-term effects of genocide and war and terror when all I wanted was an interesting read.
Anyway, no regrets. I'm very glad I decided to add this to my collection. It isn't something I would've read otherwise. Now, I'm not going to say this book deeply changed me, because I'm always very suspicious of people who say that (I'm cynical, tragically). But I will say this book gave me perspective, and that is an important thing to have. Especially when you're privileged enough to live in a country where you will probably never have to face any of this. So thank you for sharing the pieces of your story Clemantine Wamariya. I deeply appreciated the journey.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
“You might have time and i might have land. You might have ideas and I might have strength. You might have a tomato and I might have a knife, We need each other. We need to say: I honor the things that you respect and I value the things you cherish. I am not better than you. You are not better than me. Nobody is better than anybody else. Nobody is who you think they are at first glance. We need to see beyond the projections we cast onto each other, Each of us is so much grander, more nuanced, and more extraordinary than anybody thinks, including ourselves.”
This book journeys through so much raw, while bringing such light to the struggle to make sense of things and find joy again. Both a hard and beautiful read with much to teach.
This book journeys through so much raw, while bringing such light to the struggle to make sense of things and find joy again. Both a hard and beautiful read with much to teach.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced