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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
A young girl’s memoir about escaping the Rwandan genocide and her harrowing journey to safety. Despite our fascination with the Holocaust, many people turned a blind eye to the horrors in Rwanda. This survivor story needs to be read so we can stop repeating the same mistakes.
"There's a difference between story and experience. Experience is the whole mess, all that actually happened; a story is the pieces you string together, what you make of it, a guide to your own existence. Experience is the scars on my legs. My story is that they're proof that I'm alive."
At six years old, the author of this memoir is displaced by the Rwandan genocide and separated from her parents. Her happy, comfortable life with her family is replaced with one of extreme struggle as Clemantine traverses through multiple countries in a fight for survival with her sister, Claire.
Eventually, Clemantine ends up in America. She astutely observes her world and learns how to function within it; ultimately, she goes to Yale. Yet, inside, Clemantine has not as neatly recovered from her experience (and who could)?
This memoir has raw moments, moments of beauty, moments that are both. It provides deep introspection, but it can feel uneven. Sometimes it feels like there is still a carefully created construction of Clemantine rather than a true portrait of the author. But, is it so much to ask that someone keep back a part of themselves when they share? Must I expect everything as the reader? Other than that, the writing sometimes feels a bit uneven as well.
However, that aside, this is still a compelling and important book that was also a great read.
At six years old, the author of this memoir is displaced by the Rwandan genocide and separated from her parents. Her happy, comfortable life with her family is replaced with one of extreme struggle as Clemantine traverses through multiple countries in a fight for survival with her sister, Claire.
Eventually, Clemantine ends up in America. She astutely observes her world and learns how to function within it; ultimately, she goes to Yale. Yet, inside, Clemantine has not as neatly recovered from her experience (and who could)?
This memoir has raw moments, moments of beauty, moments that are both. It provides deep introspection, but it can feel uneven. Sometimes it feels like there is still a carefully created construction of Clemantine rather than a true portrait of the author. But, is it so much to ask that someone keep back a part of themselves when they share? Must I expect everything as the reader? Other than that, the writing sometimes feels a bit uneven as well.
However, that aside, this is still a compelling and important book that was also a great read.
Powerful memoir by a young woman who came to the US as a refugee at age 12 after having spent several harrowing years displaced by the Rwandan genocide. Throughout I was struck by her and her sister’s fierce determination to survive, and the deep trauma of the experience for the whole family (and so many others like them). Now Wamariya is a Yale grad and a humanitarian activist, but this isn’t a (problematic) rags to riches tale - instead she shares the complexities and of her sudden plunge into plenty, and her struggle to understand the world and her own story.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
What an incredible story. A tale of a six year old’s escape from her childhood home during the Rwandan genocide, this memoir is equal parts masterful storytelling and poignant self-reflection. I enjoyed every chapter and admire the author’s ability to examine her own turbulent past. Her story of endless perseverance in the face of horrific circumstances inspires me.
A beautiful, heartbreaking memoir about trauma, upheaval, resistance and resilience. Clemantine Wamariya tells of experience as a Tutsi woman living in Rwanda during the Rwanda Genocide. Her memoir tells of her journey as a Rwandan refugee living in 7 different countries before coming to the United States in 2000.
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I did a buddy read of this with my dear friend @diariesofbibliophile and it is without a doubt that we were both in awe of the resiliency and strength of Clemantine throughout this harrowing journey. Clemantine and her sister, Claire, were each other's constants throughout the journey and I was in awe of them both for very different reasons.
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Wamariya describes the stark differences between how she was able to survive from how her sister survived. And, she continued to describe the differences in how the trauma rooted within them to influence how they navigated their way through cultures, relationships, and healing.
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From a mental health aspect, it was so powerful to see that trauma can (and does) present in different ways for every person. There is a therapist and researcher from Canada, Vikki Reynolds, who has devoted her work to researching and advocating for marginalized populations and survivors. She writes about the power of the resistance and I could help but think of this work as I read. If you're interested, check out her episode of The Radical Therapist Podcast (episode 15) or read her work at Vikkireynolds.ca
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I did a buddy read of this with my dear friend @diariesofbibliophile and it is without a doubt that we were both in awe of the resiliency and strength of Clemantine throughout this harrowing journey. Clemantine and her sister, Claire, were each other's constants throughout the journey and I was in awe of them both for very different reasons.
•
Wamariya describes the stark differences between how she was able to survive from how her sister survived. And, she continued to describe the differences in how the trauma rooted within them to influence how they navigated their way through cultures, relationships, and healing.
•
From a mental health aspect, it was so powerful to see that trauma can (and does) present in different ways for every person. There is a therapist and researcher from Canada, Vikki Reynolds, who has devoted her work to researching and advocating for marginalized populations and survivors. She writes about the power of the resistance and I could help but think of this work as I read. If you're interested, check out her episode of The Radical Therapist Podcast (episode 15) or read her work at Vikkireynolds.ca
It's hard to imagine the resilience, strength, perseverance of the author. Wamariya lived through the Rwandan genocide, the chaos and despair of being a refugee. She's honest, unflinching and full of wisdom. Beautifully written, and a must read as a way to remember that that the realities of horrors like the Holocaust did not start in Europe, did not end in Europe, have not ended. We need to bear witness, and this book is a gorgeous and important way to start.
I was not really sure how to respond to this book. The story was amazing but I had a hard time connecting with the author. Overall learned so much and loved the cultural discussion of different worlds, race, and trauma.
RAIG recommendation. The story of Clemantine and her sister in war torn Rwanda (and other regions of Africa) and how these events shaped their lives. As refugees they were brought to the Chicago area and reading about how they tried to get their worlds to fit together was interesting and heartbreaking.
This was so incredible beautiful and heart breaking. I love Clemantine's honesty, that she didn't pretend to be okay, that she didn't feel guilty for surviving.