How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child - Paperback

by Sandra Uwiringiyimana (Author), Abigail Pesta (Author)

Junior Library Guild Selection * New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens * Goodreads Choice Awards Nonfiction Finalist * Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Books for Teens: Nonfiction * 2018 Texas Topaz Nonfiction List * YALSA's 2018 Quick Picks List * Bank Street's 2018 Best Books of the Year

"This gut-wrenching, poetic memoir reminds us that no life story can be reduced to the word 'refugee.'" --New York Times Book Review

"A critical piece of literature, contributing to the larger refugee narrative in a way that is complex and nuanced." --School Library Journal (starred review)

This profoundly moving memoir is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringiyimana, a girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who tells the tale of how she survived a massacre, immigrated to America, and overcame her trauma through art and activism.

Sandra was just ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. She had watched as rebels gunned down her mother and six-year-old sister in a refugee camp. Remarkably, the rebel didn't pull the trigger, and Sandra escaped.

Thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. With no home and no money, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to face yet another ethnic disconnect. Sandra may have crossed an ocean, but there was now a much wider divide she had to overcome. And it started with middle school in New York.

In this memoir, Sandra tells the story of her survival, of finding her place in a new country, of her hope for the future, and how she found a way to give voice to her people.

Front Jacket

Sandra Uwiringiyimana was ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. The rebels had come at night--wielding weapons, torches, and machetes. She had watched as her mother and six-year-old sister were gunned down in a refugee camp, far from their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebels were killing people who weren't from the same tribe.

"Good-bye, life," she said to the man ready to shoot her.

Remarkably, the rebel didn't pull the trigger, and Sandra escaped into the night.

Thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. With no home and no money, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to face yet another ethnic disconnect. Sandra may have crossed an ocean, but there was now a much wider divide she had to overcome. And it started with middle school in New York.

In this profoundly moving memoir, Sandra tells the inspiring story of her survival, of finding her place in a new country, and of her hope for the future. How Dare the Sun Rise shows the unrelenting strength of one incredible young woman and her family, unveiling how she found a way to give voice to her people and begin the path to healing through art and activism.

--Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer, Hearst Magazines

Back Jacket

Sandra Uwiringiyimana was ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. The rebels had come at night--wielding weapons, torches, and machetes. She had watched as her mother and six-year-old sister were gunned down in a refugee camp, far from their home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The rebels were killing people who weren't from the same tribe.

"Good-bye, life," she said to the man ready to shoot her.

Remarkably, the rebel didn't pull the trigger, and Sandra escaped into the night.

Thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. With no home and no money, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to face yet another ethnic disconnect. Sandra may have crossed an ocean, but there was now a much wider divide she had to overcome. And it started with middle school in New York.

In this profoundly moving memoir, Sandra tells the inspiring story of her survival, of finding her place in a new country, and of her hope for the future. How Dare the Sun Rise shows the unrelenting strength of one incredible young woman and her family, unveiling how she found a way to give voice to her people and begin the path to healing through art and activism.