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[(Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You )] [Author: Hanna Jansen] [May-2006]
Originally published in Stuttgard, Thienemann Verlag, 2002.
Unknown Binding
First published October 1, 2003
37 people are currently reading
653 people want to read
About the author
Hanna Jansen
20 books7 followersI was born in Diepholz, Germany, in 1946.
Twenty years I worked as a teacher of art, German language and literature and wrote lesson units and texts for a large textbook publisher.
My first novel for young people was published in 2000, followed by three novels for children and young adults, as well as a long narrative for an anthology of world religions. My books have been translated into several languages and my novel "Over a thousand hills I walk with you" about the genocide in Rwanda received an important German children's book prize, the Buxtehuder Bulle. It is now published in the United States.
I live with my husband and twelve children from all over the world - most of them African orphans - in Siegburg near Cologne.
Twenty years I worked as a teacher of art, German language and literature and wrote lesson units and texts for a large textbook publisher.
My first novel for young people was published in 2000, followed by three novels for children and young adults, as well as a long narrative for an anthology of world religions. My books have been translated into several languages and my novel "Over a thousand hills I walk with you" about the genocide in Rwanda received an important German children's book prize, the Buxtehuder Bulle. It is now published in the United States.
I live with my husband and twelve children from all over the world - most of them African orphans - in Siegburg near Cologne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
November 13, 2012
Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com
OVER A THOUSAND HILLS I WALK WITH YOU is the horrifying novel that is based on a true story about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This was a subject that I didn't know too much about until I read this book, which made me realize how horrible events such as this one are still happening in today's society. How we could let this happen is beyond me.
The book is written by the adoptive mother of Jeanne to tell the story that is often called the modern day Holocaust. As with the original Holocaust, many children were left to fight for themselves and try and find a new way to survive. Jeanne's family is killed and she is left to fend for herself, and the book is about how she achieves that.
When you read this book you aren't on the basic level of thinking. You are much beyond that. The imagery in this book is not good, because in no way do you want this to happen to anyone, but at the same time it's very real. I felt as if I were standing the fields and forests and homes of these people and was surrounded by people fighting for their lives.
OVER A THOUSAND HILLS I WALK WITH YOU is the horrifying novel that is based on a true story about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. This was a subject that I didn't know too much about until I read this book, which made me realize how horrible events such as this one are still happening in today's society. How we could let this happen is beyond me.
The book is written by the adoptive mother of Jeanne to tell the story that is often called the modern day Holocaust. As with the original Holocaust, many children were left to fight for themselves and try and find a new way to survive. Jeanne's family is killed and she is left to fend for herself, and the book is about how she achieves that.
When you read this book you aren't on the basic level of thinking. You are much beyond that. The imagery in this book is not good, because in no way do you want this to happen to anyone, but at the same time it's very real. I felt as if I were standing the fields and forests and homes of these people and was surrounded by people fighting for their lives.
September 5, 2007
After complaining about it for weeks, I finally finished Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You by Hanna Jansen. Not only did I finish the book, but I gave it four stars.
Now, I am not going to take back all of my previous complaints. This book was very difficult to get into. Weighing in at over 300 pages, Jansen would have done well to cut out the first 100 (and her editor should have advised her to do the same).
I understand why she included the first section. Those pages give background information on Jeanne, her family, and their life in Rwanda. Yet, I felt those first 100 pages did little to engage me as a reader.
I knew going in that Jeanne and her family would be affected by the Rwandan genocide and Jeanne would end up in Germany living with Jansen (who adopted her), so I was anxious to get to the heart of the story. I wanted to know what happened to Jeanne and how she, alone, could survive the tragedy.
For lack of a better term, Jeanne’s story is heartbreaking. The account is unflinching in its details of the genocide. Jeanne is only eight years old when her former neighbors, former “friends,” attack the Tutsis for being Tutsis. She watches loved ones slaughtered and must cope with survivor’s guilt. What affected me most was the knowledge that at some point Jeanne related all of these devastating details to Jansen.
Jansen begins each chapter from her own perspective, providing her reflections on living with Jeanne. I found these passages both interesting and distracting. She could (and maybe should) have written two separate books: Jeanne’s story and her own.
Jansen has clearly lived an interesting life. According to the author blurb, she has adopted 13 refugee children. She also makes mention of her guilt at being German and growing up in post-WWII Germany. I wonder if she adopts these children as some sort of retribution for her ancestors’ crimes. I would like to know her story—but in a different context.
Each time Jansen intrudes into the narrative, I am reminded that Jeanne’s experiences have been filtered through another, and I must question the book’s level of authenticity.
For example, Jansen goes into extreme details in her descriptions. Yet, Jeanne was only eight when the events occurred. Were her memories really so vivid? Also, could Jeanne’s grasp of German, a language new to her, have been so fluent as to express these details? Or has Jansen taken creative licenses? She does comment at one point about how excellent Jeanne’s memory is, but I still have to wonder.
Regardless of authenticity, I recommend this book. It is as strong and disquieting as Deogratias without the vulgarity, and the story is even more effective because of its biographical nature.
June 12, 2016
3.5 stars.
I wrote a whole review for this book and then my laptop crashed and now EVERYTHING IS HORRIBLE. But I digress.
I was really excited about reading this book. I mean, it's a young adult book about the Rwandan genocide that's based on the true story of the author's adoptive daughter. And it's translated from German. How could I not be excited about that?!
However. This fell a little flat for me. I think the main reason for this is that at the beginning of every chapter, there's a section written from Jansen to her adoptive daughter, Jeanne, discussing their relationship. The nightmares, the fights, the cultural differences, the love and pride that Jansen has for Jeanne. And I really enjoyed these sections, because they gave a great sense of the fact that life doesn't instantly go back to normal when you lose your entire family and end up moving half way around the world.
But.
Having these sections at the start of every chapter meant that there was never really any sense of "OMG IS JEANNE GOING TO SURVIVE??" during the sections that were set in Rwanda. I definitely enjoyed them, and I'm glad they were included. But I can't help but think they would have been better grouped together at the end of the book rather than scattered throughout.
It also took a reeeeeeeeeally long time to get going - I understand that the intention is to set up Jeanne's life BEFORE it was filled with atrocities and murder and a fight for survival. But over 100 pages - nearly a third of the book, in fact - is taken up with setting the scene, and I would have liked to see a little more balance.
Essentially, I expected this to be a very emotional book, given the subject matter. Over 1 million people were killed - brutally, with machetes, hoes, and grenades - in only a couple of months. It SHOULD have been a sob fest. But it's written in quite a clinical way, and as such the atrocities that happen in the story didn't have much of an impact on me. Which is surprising, because I usually cry at the drop of a hat where books are concerned these days.
On the whole, I'm glad I read it. It's an astonishing story, and the writing flows well despite being translated. Jansen, too, seems like a fascinating and very caring person. Growing up in post-war Germany, she had an enormous sense of guilt over the horrors committed by the Germans during the war. As a result, she decided that she wanted to spend her adulthood making life better for people, and she and her husband have adopted twelve children, most of whom are war orphans and refugees.
So I'd definitely recommend it. It just didn't feature the suckerpunch of feelings that I was anticipating.
I wrote a whole review for this book and then my laptop crashed and now EVERYTHING IS HORRIBLE. But I digress.
I was really excited about reading this book. I mean, it's a young adult book about the Rwandan genocide that's based on the true story of the author's adoptive daughter. And it's translated from German. How could I not be excited about that?!
However. This fell a little flat for me. I think the main reason for this is that at the beginning of every chapter, there's a section written from Jansen to her adoptive daughter, Jeanne, discussing their relationship. The nightmares, the fights, the cultural differences, the love and pride that Jansen has for Jeanne. And I really enjoyed these sections, because they gave a great sense of the fact that life doesn't instantly go back to normal when you lose your entire family and end up moving half way around the world.
But.
Having these sections at the start of every chapter meant that there was never really any sense of "OMG IS JEANNE GOING TO SURVIVE??" during the sections that were set in Rwanda. I definitely enjoyed them, and I'm glad they were included. But I can't help but think they would have been better grouped together at the end of the book rather than scattered throughout.
It also took a reeeeeeeeeally long time to get going - I understand that the intention is to set up Jeanne's life BEFORE it was filled with atrocities and murder and a fight for survival. But over 100 pages - nearly a third of the book, in fact - is taken up with setting the scene, and I would have liked to see a little more balance.
Essentially, I expected this to be a very emotional book, given the subject matter. Over 1 million people were killed - brutally, with machetes, hoes, and grenades - in only a couple of months. It SHOULD have been a sob fest. But it's written in quite a clinical way, and as such the atrocities that happen in the story didn't have much of an impact on me. Which is surprising, because I usually cry at the drop of a hat where books are concerned these days.
On the whole, I'm glad I read it. It's an astonishing story, and the writing flows well despite being translated. Jansen, too, seems like a fascinating and very caring person. Growing up in post-war Germany, she had an enormous sense of guilt over the horrors committed by the Germans during the war. As a result, she decided that she wanted to spend her adulthood making life better for people, and she and her husband have adopted twelve children, most of whom are war orphans and refugees.
So I'd definitely recommend it. It just didn't feature the suckerpunch of feelings that I was anticipating.
October 26, 2009
This novel is based on the true story of a young girl who survived the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda. Almost halfway through it I had to stop, because I knew bad things were going to happen. I didn't pick the book up again for over a week. I finally finished it today, and while I read I had to keep flipping to the dust jacket flap to the real Jeanne's picture to make sure she's happy now. I can't imagine being so young and going through such horror. I don't understand how you can murder someone, especially a woman or a child, just because they're different from you. I know the situation in Rwanda wasn't just about differences, but also about social classes and politics, but I still don't get it. At times, neither does Jeanne.
I keep hoping that the more books like this that are written, and the more people read them, the less things like this will happen. But I guess the people who really need to read books like this one aren't, because genocides are still happening. Nevertheless, I'm highly recommending this book to everyone. And I'd like to know more about Hanna Jansen's other 12 war orphan adoptees. They must be a remarkable family.
I keep hoping that the more books like this that are written, and the more people read them, the less things like this will happen. But I guess the people who really need to read books like this one aren't, because genocides are still happening. Nevertheless, I'm highly recommending this book to everyone. And I'd like to know more about Hanna Jansen's other 12 war orphan adoptees. They must be a remarkable family.
November 11, 2025
read this in hs and i desperately need to reread bc all i remember is sobbing
March 28, 2024
I read this a few years ago and to this day it is one of the most memorable books I have read. It depicts the beauty of regular life, how everything can change in an instant and how so many people, especially children, lost everything only because some people decided they weren’t worthy of life. A part of the world’s history and a book that should not be forgotten. However one thing this book doesn’t quite touch upon, is the actual history of Rwanda, not only what happened during the genocide but the political and social situation in the country pre 1994.
Read
August 26, 2015Durch Nina, Frau Hauptsachebunt, bin ich auf dieses Buch aufmerksam geworden. Es ist ein Herzensbuch von ihr und so habe ich beschlossen es auch zu lesen. Und Nina warnte mich vor intensiven Lesestunden. Sie hatte Recht.
Jeanne, genannt Dédé lebt mit ihren Eltern Ananie und Florence, sowie mit ihrem älteren Bruder Jando und der kleineren Schwester Teya in Kibungo, Ruanda. Von Ruanda habe ich auch schon einmal gehört, aber mich nie näher mit diesem kleinen Teil von Afrika beschäftigt. Dédé führt ein glückliches Leben, im Sommer besuchen sie immer ihre Großmutter und treffen dort auf alle Verwandten, die über das komplette Land verteilt leben. Dédé genießt dieses Sommer, nach dem Tod der Großmutter muss sie ihren ersten Sommer Daheim verbringen, doch bevor sie in die Ferien starten können erstellt die Lehrerin in der Schule eine Liste, welches Kind Tutsi, Hutu oder Twa ist. Erst danach dürfen sie in die Sommerferien starten und ihre Tage während der Ferien laufen immer gleich ab. Sie vermisst die schönen alten Geschichten ihrer Großmutter sehr. Zusammen mit Jando vertreibt sie sich die Zeit, eigentlich möchte Dédé gar kein Mädchen sein, sie will viel lieber wie die Jungs auf Bäume klettern und um die Wette laufen, schon das ein oder andere Mal hat ihr vorlautes Mundwerk ihr Ärger eingebracht, auch in der Schule. Damit versucht sie zu kompensieren, dass ihre linke Körperhälfte nicht so gut funktioniert, denn sie hatte Kinderlähmung. Als das Flugzeug des Präsidenten von Ruanda und Burundi abgeschossen wird hat Jando bereits eine düstere Vorahnung. Die beiden Präsidenten kamen von einer Friedensverhandlung. Doch keiner will sich wirklich vorstellen, dass es Krieg geben könnte. Es treffen die ersten Flüchtlinge ein und auch Bekannte und Freunde von Ananie, die über schreckliche Gräueltaten gegenüber den Tutsi berichten. Ananie und Florence beraten was zu tun ist und beschließen mit ihren Kindern nach Birenga zu gehen. Mit dem nötigsten bepackt machen sie sich auf die beschwerliche Reise. Dort angekommen wird ihnen versichert, hier sicher zu sein. Doch dann kommen die Interahamwe und das Töten beginnt und für Jeanne beginnt der Wettlauf gegen den Tod.
Sie fühlte deutlich: An diesem Ort, in diesem Augenblick war das Glück so weit entfernt wie der Himmel von der Erde. Seite 139
Wir begleiten Jeanne wie sie um ihr Überleben kämpft mit der Gewissheit, dass ihre komplette Familie tot ist. Aber sie will Leben und keine Angst haben, so kämpft sie sich mühsam durch. Mit ihren gerade mal 8 Jahren hat sie mehr Grausamkeiten und Hass gesehen, als jemals jemand sehen sollte und trotzdem kämpft sie weiter um ihr Leben und nimmt auch später kein Blatt vor dem Mund und erzählt alles über die schrecklichen Gräueltaten und als das Grauen, welches sie gesehen hat. Nachbarn und Freunde wurden zu Mördern. Niemand kann man mehr trauen.
Im schlimmsten Augenblick erst würde sich zeigen: Freund oder Feind? Seite 190
Nach dem Jeanne, die einzige aus ihrer Familie ist, die überlebt hat und sie eine alte Freundin trifft, welche erzählt sie geht ins Ausland, fällt ihr wieder ein sie hat eine Tante in Deutschland. So verlässt Jeanne Ruanda und kommt zu Hanna Jansen. Hanna Jansen hat bereits 13 Kinder aus aller Welt aufgenommen und dort findet auch Jeanne ein Zuhause und jemand, der sich ihre Geschichte anhört und sie aufschreibt.
Über tausend Hügel wandere ich mit dir ist in zwei Kapitel unterteilt und die Erzählungen von Jeanne werden zwischen durch immer wieder unterbrochen durch Schilderungen von Hanna Jansen aus der Gegenwart, was dem Leser kurzfristig Zeit verschafft ein bisschen durchzuatmen und sich erneut zu wappnen was noch kommen wird.
Über tausend Hügel wandere ich mit dir. Bergauf, bergab. Seite 112
Ich bewundere die Stärke, den Mut und den Überlebenswillen von Jeanne und auch die Stärke von ihrer Mutter Hanna Jansen dieses Thema aufzugreifen und ein Buch darüber zu schreiben, um so viele Menschen wie möglich zu erreichen. Ich selbst war für das Geschehen 1994 noch viel zu jung, ich kann mich kaum daran erinnern und eigentlich habe ich mich auch noch nicht wirklich mit diesem Thema befasst, im Gegensatz zum Holocaust. Deswegen finde ich jeder sollte dieses Buch lesen und auch erfahren was in Ruanda geschah.
Fazit
Ich möchte dieses Buch nicht bewerten, denn es hat kein Mensch das Recht über ein anderes Leben zu urteilen oder zu werten. Würde ich es dennoch tun so bekommt dieses Buch von mir eine klare Leseempfehlung. Lest dieses Buch! Es wird mich noch für lange Zeit beschäftigen und im Gedächtnis bleiben.
Jeanne, genannt Dédé lebt mit ihren Eltern Ananie und Florence, sowie mit ihrem älteren Bruder Jando und der kleineren Schwester Teya in Kibungo, Ruanda. Von Ruanda habe ich auch schon einmal gehört, aber mich nie näher mit diesem kleinen Teil von Afrika beschäftigt. Dédé führt ein glückliches Leben, im Sommer besuchen sie immer ihre Großmutter und treffen dort auf alle Verwandten, die über das komplette Land verteilt leben. Dédé genießt dieses Sommer, nach dem Tod der Großmutter muss sie ihren ersten Sommer Daheim verbringen, doch bevor sie in die Ferien starten können erstellt die Lehrerin in der Schule eine Liste, welches Kind Tutsi, Hutu oder Twa ist. Erst danach dürfen sie in die Sommerferien starten und ihre Tage während der Ferien laufen immer gleich ab. Sie vermisst die schönen alten Geschichten ihrer Großmutter sehr. Zusammen mit Jando vertreibt sie sich die Zeit, eigentlich möchte Dédé gar kein Mädchen sein, sie will viel lieber wie die Jungs auf Bäume klettern und um die Wette laufen, schon das ein oder andere Mal hat ihr vorlautes Mundwerk ihr Ärger eingebracht, auch in der Schule. Damit versucht sie zu kompensieren, dass ihre linke Körperhälfte nicht so gut funktioniert, denn sie hatte Kinderlähmung. Als das Flugzeug des Präsidenten von Ruanda und Burundi abgeschossen wird hat Jando bereits eine düstere Vorahnung. Die beiden Präsidenten kamen von einer Friedensverhandlung. Doch keiner will sich wirklich vorstellen, dass es Krieg geben könnte. Es treffen die ersten Flüchtlinge ein und auch Bekannte und Freunde von Ananie, die über schreckliche Gräueltaten gegenüber den Tutsi berichten. Ananie und Florence beraten was zu tun ist und beschließen mit ihren Kindern nach Birenga zu gehen. Mit dem nötigsten bepackt machen sie sich auf die beschwerliche Reise. Dort angekommen wird ihnen versichert, hier sicher zu sein. Doch dann kommen die Interahamwe und das Töten beginnt und für Jeanne beginnt der Wettlauf gegen den Tod.
Sie fühlte deutlich: An diesem Ort, in diesem Augenblick war das Glück so weit entfernt wie der Himmel von der Erde. Seite 139
Wir begleiten Jeanne wie sie um ihr Überleben kämpft mit der Gewissheit, dass ihre komplette Familie tot ist. Aber sie will Leben und keine Angst haben, so kämpft sie sich mühsam durch. Mit ihren gerade mal 8 Jahren hat sie mehr Grausamkeiten und Hass gesehen, als jemals jemand sehen sollte und trotzdem kämpft sie weiter um ihr Leben und nimmt auch später kein Blatt vor dem Mund und erzählt alles über die schrecklichen Gräueltaten und als das Grauen, welches sie gesehen hat. Nachbarn und Freunde wurden zu Mördern. Niemand kann man mehr trauen.
Im schlimmsten Augenblick erst würde sich zeigen: Freund oder Feind? Seite 190
Nach dem Jeanne, die einzige aus ihrer Familie ist, die überlebt hat und sie eine alte Freundin trifft, welche erzählt sie geht ins Ausland, fällt ihr wieder ein sie hat eine Tante in Deutschland. So verlässt Jeanne Ruanda und kommt zu Hanna Jansen. Hanna Jansen hat bereits 13 Kinder aus aller Welt aufgenommen und dort findet auch Jeanne ein Zuhause und jemand, der sich ihre Geschichte anhört und sie aufschreibt.
Über tausend Hügel wandere ich mit dir ist in zwei Kapitel unterteilt und die Erzählungen von Jeanne werden zwischen durch immer wieder unterbrochen durch Schilderungen von Hanna Jansen aus der Gegenwart, was dem Leser kurzfristig Zeit verschafft ein bisschen durchzuatmen und sich erneut zu wappnen was noch kommen wird.
Über tausend Hügel wandere ich mit dir. Bergauf, bergab. Seite 112
Ich bewundere die Stärke, den Mut und den Überlebenswillen von Jeanne und auch die Stärke von ihrer Mutter Hanna Jansen dieses Thema aufzugreifen und ein Buch darüber zu schreiben, um so viele Menschen wie möglich zu erreichen. Ich selbst war für das Geschehen 1994 noch viel zu jung, ich kann mich kaum daran erinnern und eigentlich habe ich mich auch noch nicht wirklich mit diesem Thema befasst, im Gegensatz zum Holocaust. Deswegen finde ich jeder sollte dieses Buch lesen und auch erfahren was in Ruanda geschah.
Fazit
Ich möchte dieses Buch nicht bewerten, denn es hat kein Mensch das Recht über ein anderes Leben zu urteilen oder zu werten. Würde ich es dennoch tun so bekommt dieses Buch von mir eine klare Leseempfehlung. Lest dieses Buch! Es wird mich noch für lange Zeit beschäftigen und im Gedächtnis bleiben.
April 3, 2013
Written by the adoptive mother of a young girl who survived the Rwandan genocide, "Over a Thousand HIlls" follows 8-year-old Jeanne's ordeal as she sees her world torn apart by the war and her family killed because of ethnic distinctions she does not really understand. The description is vivid but seems to have lost some of its poignancy while being told by the protagonist to the narrator, although the parts written from the perspective of the adoptive mother clearly express her horror at the atrocities Jeanne witnessed and therefore result more emotional than the witness's account. Nevertheless, this is a distressing read. One thing that is very clearly conveyed by the book is how the majority of the killings were carried out by civilians driven into a ferocious frenzy, whose actions also betray greed, hatred fueled by hutu propaganda but also, for lack of a better word, boredom: Jeanne may have been lucky (she travels with a woman who passes her off as a relative but is recognized as tutsi on numerous occasions), but she describes civilians organizing checkpoints and contenting themselves with (mostly) verbal abuse and stealing. There is also no mention of any gender-targeted violence against women, in spite of the fact that Jeanne is a young girl herself and travels with lots of women including a 16-year-old girl. Sexual assault on both tutsi and hutu women was widespread during the genocide, so its absence is conspicuous, although it may be due to the book being written for a young audience.
May 14, 2009
4Q, 3P, J, S
Dev Assets 1, 4, 16, 30, 34
Best Books, realistic. Written by the German adoptive mother of Jeanne, the real life protagonist, Over a Thousand Hills tells the heartbreaking story of a little Tutsi girl, who is safe in her home, status, identity, and future when the 1994 Rwanda genocide explodes into her life. The author uses a considerable chunk of the novel as a tribute to the loving and structured home Jeanne enjoyed until she became a refugee, fleeing and fighting to survive in her own country and neighborhood. The atrocities she witnessed, including the murders of her family members, and the horrors she experienced are plenty to keep a teen’s attention; the reader just has to stay with the book through the long introduction to arrive at them. This definitely personalizes a genocide, and I think titles including this would serve as good pairings with units on the Holocaust--illustrating that genocides continue and impact individuals, not just groups. Vignettes of Jeanne after she joined her adoptive family are sprinkled throughout, further developing the hurt and strength of this teen girl. Continuing interest in Holocaust stories and the increasing knowledge of the Darfur are excellent bridges to this title. I am a better person for having read it, and teens who will invest themselves in this book will find increased empathy and, I believe, a larger world view.
Dev Assets 1, 4, 16, 30, 34
Best Books, realistic. Written by the German adoptive mother of Jeanne, the real life protagonist, Over a Thousand Hills tells the heartbreaking story of a little Tutsi girl, who is safe in her home, status, identity, and future when the 1994 Rwanda genocide explodes into her life. The author uses a considerable chunk of the novel as a tribute to the loving and structured home Jeanne enjoyed until she became a refugee, fleeing and fighting to survive in her own country and neighborhood. The atrocities she witnessed, including the murders of her family members, and the horrors she experienced are plenty to keep a teen’s attention; the reader just has to stay with the book through the long introduction to arrive at them. This definitely personalizes a genocide, and I think titles including this would serve as good pairings with units on the Holocaust--illustrating that genocides continue and impact individuals, not just groups. Vignettes of Jeanne after she joined her adoptive family are sprinkled throughout, further developing the hurt and strength of this teen girl. Continuing interest in Holocaust stories and the increasing knowledge of the Darfur are excellent bridges to this title. I am a better person for having read it, and teens who will invest themselves in this book will find increased empathy and, I believe, a larger world view.
August 7, 2013
This book offers a rare glimpse into how the tragedy of the Rwandan genocide affected the people-especially the children-trapped in its wrath. While the detail into which the violence and pain was explained was unexpected for a young adult book and almost seeming too vivid to be all based on Jeanne's memories, it does justice to those sacrificed during this genocide and teaches many of the most important lessons of life you can learn. Here in America, we use the time of segregation in our history as a way to portray prejudice and yet in Rwanda prejudice went much beyond that into not just the sacrifice of a few but the perishing of 800,000 in only 100 days-something we would view as seemingly impossible in such a modern time. Leading us through the emotions, fears, grieving, and anger of a single survivor in a large family this eye opening account would be a book I could honesty say, "changed my life," without it being a clique term.
October 5, 2015
I really don't know what I should say about this book. I had to read this book for Language Arts. There were some parts that made me really feel sad for her, but there were parts that I couldn't just understand. Jeanne reminded me of Scott from To Kill a Mockingbird. They're so similar in so many ways. These 6 year-old girls are going through society problems because of adults. At that point, they realize so much that they're childhood is vanished. Literally. They crossed this line where they can never cross back because this is what they face: society. This book just made me sorry for them to face these things 6 year-olds should never face. Since there's this "Author's Note" every chapter, you can sense that this girl knows more than adults. She has faced this in real-life and she knows that there are much scarier things ahead, which really breaks my heart.
May 28, 2009
Powerful story of a young girl's survival through the Rwandan genocide. Written in three parts - before the genocide, during and after. Each chapter begins with some interactions and thoughts from the author who adopted Rwandan girl. Lots of description which gets a little laborious but the story is very powerful. Gives a glimpse into the horror of genocide.
April 3, 2013
Sono colpito in particolare dal dialogo madre-figlia sotteso al racconto. Non posso non confrontarlo con quanto scritto da Immaculée Ilibagiza e sperare che Jeanne D'Arc Umubyeyi possa in qualche modo incontrare la stessa luce che ha trasformato, trasfigurato Immaculée.
April 15, 2024
Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You
This book involves every single one of your emotions. Terror, horror, love, joy, family, being alone, all of these play a critical role in the retelling of a terrible tragedy experience by a girl named Jeanne. Jeanne is a Tutsi girl who lived in a house with strict rules but where she had servants and a very good life. Her siblings though annoying were her whole world. However all of that changed one day when her father and mother fled with them because of the Hutus another tribe in Rwanda starting a brutal genocide. This retelling done by Jeanne’s future adopted mother is brutal in its details but essential to our understanding of what the genocide entails. The story details how Jeanne crossed borders, witnessed the murders of her family, survived in a camp with savior soldiers and eventually started to heal from this ordeal.
The story that is detailed in this book shook me to my core. It was a very hard read especially since Jeanne in the story and in real life was so young when all of this happened. One of the stories that especially shook me is when Jeanne broke down after seeing her mothers cape on another woman who was a refugee and then refused to speak for weeks. The trauma that was inflicted was hard to read and impossible to imagine. Having your entire family murdered makes me shudder to think about. Overall I think this is a really important to read and not to graphic for younger audiences. Ideal for a 6-8 grade reading level,
Content Warnings
- Genocide
- Murder/extreme violence
This book involves every single one of your emotions. Terror, horror, love, joy, family, being alone, all of these play a critical role in the retelling of a terrible tragedy experience by a girl named Jeanne. Jeanne is a Tutsi girl who lived in a house with strict rules but where she had servants and a very good life. Her siblings though annoying were her whole world. However all of that changed one day when her father and mother fled with them because of the Hutus another tribe in Rwanda starting a brutal genocide. This retelling done by Jeanne’s future adopted mother is brutal in its details but essential to our understanding of what the genocide entails. The story details how Jeanne crossed borders, witnessed the murders of her family, survived in a camp with savior soldiers and eventually started to heal from this ordeal.
The story that is detailed in this book shook me to my core. It was a very hard read especially since Jeanne in the story and in real life was so young when all of this happened. One of the stories that especially shook me is when Jeanne broke down after seeing her mothers cape on another woman who was a refugee and then refused to speak for weeks. The trauma that was inflicted was hard to read and impossible to imagine. Having your entire family murdered makes me shudder to think about. Overall I think this is a really important to read and not to graphic for younger audiences. Ideal for a 6-8 grade reading level,
Content Warnings
- Genocide
- Murder/extreme violence
September 2, 2025
Did not finish, stopped at 40%
Written by the adoptive mother (a German woman) of the Rwandan girl Jeanne featured in the story. Grade 9+. There is a lot of detail about the time and the place, which makes it informative. However, it's clearly a book written for outsiders and the prose can feel overly explanatory at times. Meanwhile the italic portions from the adoptive mother's perspective were confusing and melodramatic. Nothing happened for the first third of the book, which is fine with me as long as there is promise of a meaningful character arc. But there wasn't really any internal depth, there were too many names to keep track of, and the character's voice did not feel authentic. The book is supposed to be from the daughter's perspective (except for the italics section), but very often actually portrays events through the adoptive mother's viewpoint. You can see it in the way certain scenes are described, in the fact that her mother and father are called by their first names, and in some perspectives that don't make sense either for Jeanne's culture or for Jeanne's age.
There are few books that tell the story of the Rwandan genocide for young readers, so I was disappointed that this one wasn't as good as I hoped.
It certainly had potential but it needed some large scale editing.
Written by the adoptive mother (a German woman) of the Rwandan girl Jeanne featured in the story. Grade 9+. There is a lot of detail about the time and the place, which makes it informative. However, it's clearly a book written for outsiders and the prose can feel overly explanatory at times. Meanwhile the italic portions from the adoptive mother's perspective were confusing and melodramatic. Nothing happened for the first third of the book, which is fine with me as long as there is promise of a meaningful character arc. But there wasn't really any internal depth, there were too many names to keep track of, and the character's voice did not feel authentic. The book is supposed to be from the daughter's perspective (except for the italics section), but very often actually portrays events through the adoptive mother's viewpoint. You can see it in the way certain scenes are described, in the fact that her mother and father are called by their first names, and in some perspectives that don't make sense either for Jeanne's culture or for Jeanne's age.
There are few books that tell the story of the Rwandan genocide for young readers, so I was disappointed that this one wasn't as good as I hoped.
It certainly had potential but it needed some large scale editing.
April 19, 2019
Heartbreaking! I had to catch my breath a few times before I could read further. (Watched Girls Trip to ease the heaviness I was feeling). Teya, Teya spoke to me, I imagine her, cry for her, she came alive in the pages. She was a breath of fresh air and than she had to die like that, that any of them has to die like that. Teya broke my heart. I wonder if Jeanne knew Teya was there before creeping away if she would survive. It breaks my heart more knowing that her sister probably felt that way too and how that must have haunted and devastated her. Teya broke my heart.
April 9, 2020
1990s Rwandan civil war, genocide. Young Jeanne has a life filled with love and tradition. As the country is thrown into chaos, her entire family is killed. How did she, a little girl, find the strength to survive such a hell on earth? That's what kept me reading/devouring this book. It's a beautifully written story, told by Jeanne's German adoptive mother .
April 11, 2019
I liked the book, the only issue in it was the fact that the beginning was very slow and uninteresting. I chose this book for a school project and I expected to fall in love, when in reality I had to wait half the book for anything to happen. Though it was slow I would suggest it.
October 17, 2021
An absolutely heartbreaking story. I gave four stars because I found the beggining a bit slow and difficult to get into, and Hannah's incerpts a bit difficult to understand. But so worth pushing through. A truly haunting story that needs to be told.
January 23, 2025
I really loved the dialogue and even the author's experience and how she linked it to Jeanne, it also made you feel linked to the protagonist in the story, and even the use of language to bring out emotions at a particular time
Wonderfully done. 10/10
Wonderfully done. 10/10
May 3, 2025
Jeanne was a typical little girl in her Rwandan community. She never thought much about her Tutsi heritage until the day that the Hutus began attacking and her family had to flee for their lives. Ultimately, she was the only one of her immediate family to survive the genocide.
Written by the woman who later adopted Jeanne, the chapters start with Hanna's experiences with Jeanne since she arrived in Germany. Then the chapters go back to pick up Jeanne's story. I'm not really sure why this technique was used unless to show Jeanne's recovery from the trauma.
Written by the woman who later adopted Jeanne, the chapters start with Hanna's experiences with Jeanne since she arrived in Germany. Then the chapters go back to pick up Jeanne's story. I'm not really sure why this technique was used unless to show Jeanne's recovery from the trauma.
August 22, 2018
The book is really awesome though emotional at the same time
November 14, 2018
Don't take anything for granted
August 10, 2019
I can not imagine witnessing and then surviving such a horrific event. What a remarkable young woman.
August 27, 2019
Harrowing
June 24, 2023
Beautiful, tragic, harsh true story of a teenage girl who survives the genocide in Rwanda.
December 1, 2023
The horrors of the Rwandan genocide through the eyes of a young girl. Heartbreaking but important book.
June 27, 2024
Didn’t finish the whole thing. It wasn’t engaging and the two perspectives were a challenge. The story is amazing, but not the telling of it.
May 10, 2022
This book was originally published in German and has just been translated into English this year. It is a strong contender for the Batchelder Award in 2007. This true story tells of a young girl who survives the Rwandaan genocide that took place in 1994. Jeanne was an eight year old Catholic girl from a wealthy family at the time, and the only member of her Tutsi family to survive. The Hutus killed over one million Tutsis during a very short period of time while the rest of the world ignored it. The text is quite graphic and is recommended for mature readers, probably grade 9 and above, who are interested in world events and politics. For supplemental information, there are 2 recent movies that that are both excellent also telling other horror stories of the genocide called "Hotel Rwanda" and "Sometimes in April".
July 14, 2019
This is an important story but the main character annoyed me somewhat, as did her mother. I also didn't like the beginning of each chapter in italics--it took me so long to figure out who was writing it and what they were talking about that it lost its pertinence. Some of the characters were great and I'm glad Jansen didn't go into graphic detail but, at the same time, I wonder if the horror of those 100 days of slaughter really comes through. I found it a little hard to follow and take an interest in. But that's just me.
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