SuitabookRemembering genocide through one family
The novel makes the 1994 genocide personal by presenting one Rwandan family’s experience through Jeanne’s survival.
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Book details
Hanna Jansen - Author
This is a survivor-centred historical novel about the Rwandan genocide, following Jeanne from ordinary family life through persecution, flight, massacre and survival. Its focus is one family’s experience rather than a general history of Rwanda.
"Before one fateful April day, Jeanne lived the life of a typical Rwandan girl. She fought with her little sister, went to school, and 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--along with nearly 1 million others--did not survive. The only survivor of her family's massacre, Jeanne witnessed unspeakable acts. But through courage, wits, and sheer force of will, she survived. Based on a true story, this haunting novel by Jeanne's adoptive mother makes unforgettably real the events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide as one family experienced it.
Book Brief
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a survivor-centred historical novel about the Rwandan genocide, following Jeanne from ordinary family life through persecution, flight, massacre and survival. Its focus is one family’s experience rather than a general history of Rwanda.
The novel makes the 1994 genocide personal by presenting one Rwandan family’s experience through Jeanne’s survival.
Jeanne’s family is targeted as Tutsi during political troubles that unleash violence against the Tutsi ethnic group.
Jeanne survives after losing her family, and the book presents her courage, resourcefulness and will as central to her story.
A reader may need space to process these themes, especially because the story is presented as haunting and emotionally intense.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
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Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You - Hanna Jansen - Google Books
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Checked: 19 September 2026.
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