Broken Memory

A Story of Rwanda

By Combres, Elisabeth & Tanaka, Shelley

Publishers Summary:
Hiding behind a chair, five-year-old Emma can’t see her mother being murdered, but she hears everything. When the assassins finally leave, the terrified girl stumbles away from the scene, motivated only by the memory of her mother’s last words: "You must not die, Emma!" Eventually, Emma is taken in by an old Hutu woman who risks her own life to hide the child. A quiet bond grows between the two, but long after the war ends, Emma is still haunted by nightmares. When the country establishes gacaca courts to allow victims to face their tormentors, Emma is uneasy and afraid. But through her growing friendship with a young torture victim and the encouragement of an old man charged with helping child survivors, Emma finds the courage to begin the long journey to healing. Moments of grace and tenderness illuminate this spare, sensitive novel, which tells the story of the 1994 attacks in an age-appropriate manner.

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ISBN
978-0-88899-892-7
Publisher
Groundwood Books


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on December 1, 2009

Gr 6-9 When Emma, a Tutsi, was five years old, she hid behind the sofa while soldiers murdered her mother. She was taken in by a Hutu woman, and now, at 14, she faces the demons haunting her. When she hears that the soldiers who took part in the 1994 genocide will be brought to trial at a "gacaca" court in her home...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2009

Emma is only five years old when she witnesses her mother's murder during the Rwandan genocide. In this poignant ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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