This gut-wrenching, poetic memoir reminds us that no life story can be reduced to the word "refugee"…Uwiringiyimana weaves the pieces of her life into a fine tapestry that evokes deep empathy, even as it provides an excellent introduction for young readers to the political and economic climate in a conflict-ridden African region.

03/20/2017
In this gripping and timely memoir, Uwiringiyimana, a member of the Banyamulenge (a minority tribe in the Democratic Republic of Congo), recounts a childhood shaped by experiences as a refugee in Africa and the United States. Memories of her younger sister, Deborah, who died at age six when their tribe was attacked in a refugee camp, bookend the narrative. While the trauma of surviving the massacre reverberates throughout the story, the author also shares how multiple incidents of being treated as an outsider contributed to her nuanced sense of identity. As a child, “ would say I wasn’t truly Congolese.” After the massacre, when Sandra’s family participated in a resettlement program and moved to Rochester, N.Y., she entered “a different kind of war zone” in which she was defined by her skin color. With compassion and perspicacity, Uwiringiyimana shares the journey through which she became a courageous advocate for her tribe and refugees everywhere: “This is my story.... I must keep telling it, until the international community proves.... that my family and all others are not disposable.” Ages 13–up. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (May)

This gut-wrenching, poetic memoir reminds us that no life story can be reduced to the word ‘refugee.’ Uwiringiyimana weaves the pieces of her life into a fine tapestry that evokes deep empathy, even as it provides an excellent introduction for young readers to the political and economic climate in a conflict-ridden African region.” — New York Times Book Review

★ “The title is a critical piece of literature, contributing to the larger refugee narrative in a way that is complex and nuanced but still accessible for a YA audience. This poignant memoir is a must-have for teen collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“As America’s doors threaten to shut against refugees, this memoir could not be timelier. Her ability to summon the chaos and terror is extraordinary, but then, so is she. [Uwiringiyimana] has emerged as a powerful spokesperson for the plight of the dispossessed.” — Booklist

“With compassion and perspicacity, Uwiringiyimana shares the journey through which she became a courageous advocate for her tribe and refugees everywhere: ‘This is my story.... I must keep telling it, until the international community proves.... that my family and all others are not disposable.’” — Publishers Weekly

“Sandra’s account of her transition to America is fully as engrossing as her family’s escape from their war-torn homeland, and her memories of trying to navigate American culture...will provoke consideration even with readers who look upon immigrant classmates and neighbors with indifference.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“The politically and culturally complex picture of Africa that the author paints is welcome, and the complexities of black identity for recent immigrants versus that of diasporic black people are not often touched upon in YA literature.”   — Horn Book Magazine

“[A] story of tragedy, terror, survival, and hope. [Uwiringiyimana] becomes a powerful voice for many who are silenced: girls, women, and immigrants everywhere, refugees in particular. This hard-hitting autobiography will have readers reeling as it shows one young woman’s challenging path to healing.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A brave and honest story that puts a human face on the international refugee crisis-and asks us all to walk a mile in Sandra’s shoes.” — Patricia McCormick, author of Sold and Never Fall Down

“Sandra’s life story has profound power. From Africa to America, to the world-an inspiring tale and a riveting read.” — Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer, Hearst Magazines

“In a world on fire, Sandra’s story of survival delivers essential truths and a message of peace and unity that speaks to us all.” — Tina Brown, founder and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media/Women in the World

As America’s doors threaten to shut against refugees, this memoir could not be timelier. Her ability to summon the chaos and terror is extraordinary, but then, so is she. [Uwiringiyimana] has emerged as a powerful spokesperson for the plight of the dispossessed.

A brave and honest story that puts a human face on the international refugee crisis-and asks us all to walk a mile in Sandra’s shoes.

Sandra’s life story has profound power. From Africa to America, to the world-an inspiring tale and a riveting read.

This gut-wrenching, poetic memoir reminds us that no life story can be reduced to the word ‘refugee.’ Uwiringiyimana weaves the pieces of her life into a fine tapestry that evokes deep empathy, even as it provides an excellent introduction for young readers to the political and economic climate in a conflict-ridden African region.

In a world on fire, Sandra’s story of survival delivers essential truths and a message of peace and unity that speaks to us all.

The politically and culturally complex picture of Africa that the author paints is welcome, and the complexities of black identity for recent immigrants versus that of diasporic black people are not often touched upon in YA literature.”  

Sandra’s account of her transition to America is fully as engrossing as her family’s escape from their war-torn homeland, and her memories of trying to navigate American culture...will provoke consideration even with readers who look upon immigrant classmates and neighbors with indifference.

As America’s doors threaten to shut against refugees, this memoir could not be timelier. Her ability to summon the chaos and terror is extraordinary, but then, so is she. [Uwiringiyimana] has emerged as a powerful spokesperson for the plight of the dispossessed.

Sandra’s account of her transition to America is fully as engrossing as her family’s escape from their war-torn homeland, and her memories of trying to navigate American culture...will provoke consideration even with readers who look upon immigrant classmates and neighbors with indifference.

★ 04/01/2017
Gr 7 Up—The greatest storytellers connect with readers through universal truths, and Uwiringiyimana tells her own profound story with clarity and honesty. After a heart-pounding cliff-hanger opening, Uwiringiyimana goes back in time to revisit her childhood in Uvira, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although occasionally interrupted by bouts of war and subsequent migration, her childhood was rich and fulfilling. However, everything changed during a stay at a refugee camp. The camp at Gatumba was attacked by the Forces for National Liberation, a militant rebel group—a deadly event that would forever alter Uwiringiyimana and her family. The resulting narrative is a powerful look at the family's move to the United States, the challenges of adjusting to a different culture, Uwiringiyimana's painful recognition of her trauma from the massacre, and, finally, the healing she experienced as she took ownership of her emotional needs. Throughout, readers will be able to relate to Uwiringiyimana's adolescent struggles of fitting in and her relationship with her parents as a new adult. The title is a critical piece of literature, contributing to the larger refugee narrative in a way that is complex and nuanced but still accessible for a YA audience. VERDICT This poignant memoir is a must-have for teen collections.—Hannah Ralston, Webster Public Library, NY

The young author narrates this powerful memoir of her traumatic experiences growing up in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Though she has lived for some time in the U.S., her slight remaining accent adds to the authenticity of her narration. As she recounts the story of her childhood and then the massacre that claimed several members of her family, her tone seems oddly detached, making listener engagement challenging. As she grows older and more reflective in the course of her story, her voice also becomes more animated and self-involved. The audio format fails to take advantage of a passage in which Uwiringiyimana discusses the difference between "sounding black" and "sounding white" in America. Still, no other narrator could have done justice to this deeply personal memoir. C.M.A. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

2017-03-06
At the age of 10, author Uwiringiyimana went through horrors no one, let alone a child, should ever have to go through. She thought her life was over when she found herself with a gun, held by a member of a guerrilla group, pointed to her head. This, after she had just witnessed the gunning down of her mother and sister in the massacre of her tribe, the Banyamulenge. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sandra and her family had been living in a refugee camp in Burundi when the rebels struck one night. Sandra lived to tell her tale. After picking up the pieces they could find, Sandra and her family were resettled to America via a United Nations refugee program. They had more troubles ahead when the racial division and ethnic disconnect of the States hit them head-on. "I had grown up in a war zone," she writes on coming to understand how blackness defines her in her new home, "but life in America…was a different kind of war zone." In this touching memoir, Uwiringiyimana, with the help of Pesta, tells her story of tragedy, terror, survival, and hope. As she carries readers on a journey of self—of discovering, losing, and finding it again—she becomes a powerful voice for many who are silenced: girls, women, and immigrants everywhere, refugees in particular. This hard-hitting autobiography will have readers reeling as it shows one young woman's challenging path to healing. (Memoir. 13-adult)