A review by jcpdiesel21
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya

3.0

There's no doubt that Wamariya's journey has been challenging and incredible, and I appreciate the searing emotional rawness in which it is told. However, the chosen presentation made engaging with the material very difficult at times. I would have preferred it if the story had been told in a linear fashion rather than jumping back and forth in time; there needed to be no narrative tricks at play here for the tale to make an impact. Upon seeing the timeline at the beginning of each chapter, I often had to remind myself of where in time I was with regard to Wamariya's life, which became frustrating. This is a vital refugee story that deserves to be told, but I wish the end result had been stronger.

Thanks to the First to Read program for providing me with an ARC of this title.