Over a Thousand Hills, I Walk with You
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Andersen Press
Age 12+
Personal & Social Issues
Before that fateful April day, Jeanne lived the life of a typical Rwandan girl. She bickered with her little sister, went to school, teased her brother. Then, in one horrifying night, everything changed. Political troubles unleashed a torrent of violence upon the Tutsi ethnic group. Jeanne's family, all Tutsis, fled their home and tried desperately to reach safety.
They did not succeed. As the only survivor of her family's massacre, Jeanne witnessed unspeakable acts. This haunting story was told to Jeanne's adoptive mother, and here she makes unforgettably real the events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Creators
Hanna Jansen wrote this book based on the real life experiences of her adopted daughter, Jeanne, who survived the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Hanna and Jeanne live in Siegburg, Germany, with Hanna's husband and the couple's twelve other children, most of whom are war orphans.
Elizabeth Crawford's translations have earned many honours, including the Mildred L. Batchelor Award for outstanding translation of a children's book.
Reviews
This is an extraordinary and devastating book. It needs to be on the school curriculum, like the Diary of Anne Frank, or All Quiet on the Western Front. I will never forget it.
Emma Thompson
At its heart the Rwandan tragedy was profoundly personal. Personal for every man, woman and child who experienced the terror, who lost those they loved. This novel captures with great poignancy the terrible cost to the youngest and most vulnerable.
Fergal Keane
Remarkable . . . a profound and often beautiful book.
Observer
At times I couldn’t bear to carry on reading…vividly told.
Berlie Doherty
A powerful testimony of the genocide in Rwanda, and the events leading up to it.
Mary Blewitt, SURF - the Rwandan Genocide Survivor's Fund
An unbearably heart-rending story – yet utterly vivid and so important.
The Bookseller
Incredibly moving . . . an important, powerful memoir
The Bookseller
Extremely moving and not easily forgotten.
Publishing News
A story that needs telling . . . it will linger in my mind for a long time to come. BOOKSELLER’S CHOICE
Publishing News
Remarkable and inspiring – Starred review.
Publisher's Weekly
Beautifully crafted… Painful to read, but unforgettable. Starred Review
School Library Journal
An important addition to Holocaust curriculums, this elemental account of perpetrators, victims, and bystanders tells the story of eight-year-old Jeanne, the only one of her family to survive the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
Booklist, Editor's Choice
This book is an important addition to the Holocaust curriculum. Starred review
Booklist
The straightforward descriptive writing and dialogue successfully create the horror of the massacre, as well as the array of emotions felt by Jeanne. This is truly a well-written, captivating, and amazing story! – Starred review
Library Media Connections
More remarkable than a documentary, all the more harrowing for its restraint, and written with a mother’s love
Books for Keeps
This is a book you will not be able to put down, a story you must ‘listen’ to, and an event which must not be forgotten.
School Librarian
a good book for teenagers and it is important we think about things like this.
Teen Titles