"The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, "by Clementine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil
Read by Robin Miles with an afterward read by Wamariya; Random House Audio; eight CDs; nine hours; $40/Audible download; $28
In order to survive the Rwandan genocide in 1994, six-year-old Wamariya fled her home with an older sister and traveled through seven African countries, feeling “unwanted by everyone,” before being resettled in America. Unlike most memoirists, Wamariya does not present her best self, but shows us her true self. Angry, alienated, and distrustful, Wamariya reveals the unvarnished face of those victimized by war and what it takes to get back on track. Miles does a fine job with African pronunciations, but she sounds very American and polished. She aptly expresses emotion and there are no complaints except that this would have hit harder if told with a slight Rwandan accent.
Grade: A