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paperquilt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
anansi_girrl's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
crazytourists_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
The story of the book is set in Burundi (that shares borders and ethnic groups with Rwanda) in 1994, just before, during, and after the Tutsi and Twa genoside in Rwanda (by the Hutu, for those of you that are too young to remember). The protagonist is 10 or eleven years old, the age that I was that year.
Only I was safe in Athens, Greece, getting fragments of the news (no internet back then), and the protagonist of the book was there, in the middle of the "storm".
It is a simply written yet interesting book. The perspective of a young child, of the war and the genocide, might be more naive than that of an adult, but it can be equally heartbreaking.
My daughter is now ten, and I can't even imagine her reading about events like that, forget living them. I think I'll give her this book in a couple of years...
(If you are interested in the Rwandan civil war and genocide, I would strongly recommend the memoir of a survivor, "The girl who smiled beads".)
Only I was safe in Athens, Greece, getting fragments of the news (no internet back then), and the protagonist of the book was there, in the middle of the "storm".
It is a simply written yet interesting book. The perspective of a young child, of the war and the genocide, might be more naive than that of an adult, but it can be equally heartbreaking.
My daughter is now ten, and I can't even imagine her reading about events like that, forget living them. I think I'll give her this book in a couple of years...
(If you are interested in the Rwandan civil war and genocide, I would strongly recommend the memoir of a survivor, "The girl who smiled beads".)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and War