fionag11 reviewed Walk with Me by Dawn Hurley
What if your whole village had to run to hide in the woods from marauding thugs - and you were the disabled girl whose legs didn't work?
5 stars
Argentine's childhood memories begin with a little girl who wanted to be able to do everything the other children did, but her legs didn't work, but she tried anyway, even though she had to go on her hands and knees. Her only hope is the Centre pour Handicapés in far off Goma, but when she gets there, against the odds, the struggles are far from over, because the Centre has certain expectations that you will see put the families of the disabled in terrible dilemmas. At no point are the struggles actually over, not even at the end of the book, (not even now in the relative safety of Canada where yes, the avocados are $2 and probably not even as nice as the ones in Masisi), and that is something you realize as you read, because this is a true story, and speaks to life. It speaks to a …
Argentine's childhood memories begin with a little girl who wanted to be able to do everything the other children did, but her legs didn't work, but she tried anyway, even though she had to go on her hands and knees. Her only hope is the Centre pour Handicapés in far off Goma, but when she gets there, against the odds, the struggles are far from over, because the Centre has certain expectations that you will see put the families of the disabled in terrible dilemmas. At no point are the struggles actually over, not even at the end of the book, (not even now in the relative safety of Canada where yes, the avocados are $2 and probably not even as nice as the ones in Masisi), and that is something you realize as you read, because this is a true story, and speaks to life. It speaks to a deep meaning within life, because when you are disabled, and poor, and living in a war zone, there is no hiding from the reality that time and time again, you will have to throw yourself on the kindness and mercy of others, but also, the relationships that come from this are golden, because you meet the best people this way, and sometimes they seem to come out of nowhere like angels when most needed! Argentine's mother's, and Argentine's own courage and caring and resourcefulness are demonstrated again and again, and you see how all of these, and their ability to reach out to others, were needed, for this story to come out as well as it did.