An unusual memoir
5 stars
The Girl Who Smiled Beads was an unusual memoir for me to appreciate because much of the horrific genocide that forced Wamariya's exile happens off the page. Normally this would irritate me no end, but in this case it is because Wamariya's extreme youth meant she had a very limited understanding of what was happening around her. Instead of recounting violence and the details of this conflict, we see the Rwandan war as she saw it - in colours and sounds, through food or hunger - and this I often found emotionally more difficult to read. I was forced to keep remembering that this is the story of a young child.
Wamariya intersperses her memories of her years spent rootless except for her sister, with thoughtful discussions of what it means to be a refugee. Many of the issues she highlights are not often discussed elsewhere and I found myself …
The Girl Who Smiled Beads was an unusual memoir for me to appreciate because much of the horrific genocide that forced Wamariya's exile happens off the page. Normally this would irritate me no end, but in this case it is because Wamariya's extreme youth meant she had a very limited understanding of what was happening around her. Instead of recounting violence and the details of this conflict, we see the Rwandan war as she saw it - in colours and sounds, through food or hunger - and this I often found emotionally more difficult to read. I was forced to keep remembering that this is the story of a young child.
Wamariya intersperses her memories of her years spent rootless except for her sister, with thoughtful discussions of what it means to be a refugee. Many of the issues she highlights are not often discussed elsewhere and I found myself rethinking some of my own beliefs about the 'best' and most effective ways to offer help.
The Girl Who Smiled Beads is a relatively fast read although one where I found it useful to re-read certain sections and discussions in order to really understand the points Wamariya makes. This book doesn't have the gruesome scenes that I found so distressing in The Running Man so I thought it more likely to appeal to a wider audience. It is still a shocking reminder of a terrible war and a strong warning of how the aftermath of colonialism still resounds across recently independent nations.
