The Weaver's Scar: For Our Rwanda

Gr 7 Up—In the prologue, Faustin Kazubwenge introduces himself as a Lincoln High student who eats French fries, drinks Coke, and goes to movies. "To the parents, friends, and relatives," he notes, "I'm just one of 236 seniors about to get their diplomas. What I'm not is one of the million who died." The story then flashes back to Rwanda in 1993, right before the genocide. Faustin, a young teen, is Tutsi and is thus considered to be an inyenzi (cockroach) by the government-supported Hutu majority. Short chapters, clipped sentences, and nonstop action move the story quickly as he escapes the massacre, flees with an unlikely friend, and eludes the Hutu gangs that are searching for survivors. Crawford paints a vivid picture of both the horrifying events that Faustin survives and his fortuitous rescue and later immigration to America. Kinyarwanda words appear in conversation and are defined in the text. A map, however, would have helped readers follow the journey of the two friends down the Nyabarongo River to safety in Burundi. The dramatic first-person narrative allows readers to experience the story through Faustin's eyes, encouraging empathy and understanding.—Toby Rajput, National Louis University, Skokie, IL