How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child

Ten-year-old Sandra witnesses a massacre at a refugee camp in Burundi where she and her family live, resulting in the death of her younger sister and many others. Sandra relates the journey she and her family take to stay alive, their move to the U.S., and the poverty, racism, difficulties at school, and trauma she faces and how, as a young adult, she finds healing through art and activism. This powerful memoir, suitable for literature circles, independent or class novel study, deals with identity, justice, war, genocide, and childhood trauma, and can launch discussion of police violence, racist practices in schools, and white supremacy in western culture. Warning of violence and trauma; teacher considerations recommended.