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Broken Memory: A Novel of Rwanda
Almost ten years have passed since the Rwandan genocide, and teenage Emma has blocked out most of what happened when her mother was killed by the Hutus. She was five then, and an older Hutu woman risked her life to shelter the Tutsi girl. Their loving and supportive relationship has helped Emma survive from day to day, but she hasn’t come to terms with the terrible violence of the past. Set in 2004, when the gacaca courts were beginning in Rwanda, Élisabeth Combres’s novel addresses its grave subject matter with sensitivity. Ndoli, a boy who lives in Emma’s village, is another traumatized survivor who encourages her to get help from a therapist, a survivor who helps Emma face the past so that she can embrace the future. While there are a few questions about characters’ ages and the passage of time in this spare, eloquent story, it speaks to a difficult and painful past and the hope that comes with the hard work of healing. An author’s note provides background information on the Rwandan genocide and the gacaca courts. ©2009 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Translated from the French
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
21st Century
Genocide
Grief and Loss
Historical Fiction
Hope and Healing
Judicial System
Rwandan and Rwandan Americans
Translated Books
Trauma
World History
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
Groundwood, House of Anansi
Publish Year: 2009
Pages: 139
ISBN: 9780888998927
CCBC Location: Fiction, Combres