Sandra Uwiringiyimana Knihy

The harrowing experience of Sandra Uwiringiyimana unfolds as she recounts the terrifying night when rebels attacked her refugee camp, resulting in the brutal murder of her mother and younger sister. At just ten years old, she faced a life-threatening situation that highlighted the brutal realities of tribal violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This memoir captures her journey from trauma to resilience, shedding light on the impact of conflict and the struggle for survival in a world marked by division and loss.

Sandra Uwiringiyimana was just ten years old when she found herself with a gun pointed at her head. The rebels had come at night -- wielding weapons, torches, machetes. She 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. "Goodbye, 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. In this memoir, Sandra tells the story of her survival, of finding her place in a new country, and of her hope for the future