Brick by Brick: Building Hope and Opportunity for Women Survivors Everywhere

by Karen Sherman

After a twenty-five-year career spent fighting for women's rights around the globe at the expense of time with her family, Karen Sherman looked around and realized she didn't really know her children and felt little connection to her husband. With her world--work, marriage, family--crashing down, she made the rash decision to move to Rwanda with her three sons. While her boys attended the international school, she worked to better the lives of women survivors of war. But as the survivors--Josephine, Ange, Grace, Euphraise, Debora, Yvette, and Teresa--shared their stories of grit and determination, building lives and raising families despite the brutal challenges of war, genocide, and inequality, Karen began to see how her work was connected to the abuse in her own past, and how it was preventing her from becoming the woman she wanted to be. The struggles of these survivors, she realized, were the struggles of women everywhere, regardless of place or circumstance: striving to balance work and family, fighting for real options and choices, trying to make their voices heard. The strength of these women helped Karen find her own way through conflict zones and battles with corrupt politicians. In the end, the journey brings her home to her family and to a renewed commitment to fighting for women around the world to live free from violence and abuse, in peace and with dignity.

Genres: Africa, Politics

288 pages, Hardcover

Published January 8, 2020

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author writes about her time working with women entrepreneurs in Africa (Rwanda, although she travels elsewhere). The stories are fascinating and enlightening in terms of what some women can make do with and make themselves successful on a small scale and sometimes a large scale, especially coming from poverty in some cases and also mistreatment by men.

The author also describes the upheaval in her life and the life of her 3 sons, who live in Rwanda with her for awhile while her husband holds down the fort in the U.S. She and her husband had marriage troubles and were separated for awhile, and I appreciated the honesty it took to talk about this "in public" (in a book). It was an interesting compare-and-contrast between her situation and the women she was working with in Africa.

[Jill Dobbe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a humanitarian worker for the rights of women in marginalized situations who often put her family second and her work first. Tired of living so far away and missing a lot of her sons' lives, she decides to move her three boys with her to Rwanda.

The author is ambivalent about her marriage and is also torn about continuing to work in her field. Her work takes her into difficult situations where she is constantly on the road and away from her boys. At times, she wonders if all her struggles are worth it.

I looked forward to reading this book mostly to learn about the programs and the places the author had worked, and to read about the stories of the women survivors she helped. There were some very interesting stories about women who survived war, abusive husbands, and poverty, however, I was disappointed there weren't more life stories. Instead, I found that most of the book dealt with Sherman's own personal frustration and anger with her marriage and her abusive childhood.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this early copy.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to get an advanced review copy of this book which is Sherman's first venture into authorhood. The book takes place in a pretty wide array of places -some of which are familiar to me (suburban DC) and others that are truly a world away - Sudan and Rwanda. Her story is woven in among the stories of many other women she has known during her 30 year career working with those who have truly survived the worst that life can throw at a person - genocide, rape, abuse, abandonment - and still have hope for a better future. She manages to share both these perspectives - her own and those of the women she works with - with compassion and awareness without sacrificing her belief that life can improve. I admire both her commitment to helping women survivors and also her brutal honesty about her own demons, the struggles of marriage, motherhood and her high-powered career. The messages of hope and hard work are consistent throughout even when things seem darkest. I couldn't put it down!

[C.B. Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brick by Brick is a compelling look at one-person's transformation in the context of fighting for women's rights and development. Blending the personal, professional and greater context helping women in war-torn countries. I found myself drawn in, as a family friend I knew of some of the challenges - and Karen's work ... I found myself reflecting on the loathsome abuse of women in many societies and the hope that Rwanda brings for a new day in one country. The resilience of women and the value of hope and aspiration can not be overlooked.

I would encourage everyone to read this story ... it is complex, at times scary, and hopeful.

[Cheryl Battan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The author’s personal story is fiercely honest and relatable on many levels. In addition to loving the author’s story, I was also blown away reading the interspersed personal stories of the courageous women she has met throughout her long career serving women in war-torn countries. A very inspirational read that I highly recommend. Don’t miss the chance to see the author speak if her book tour comes to your area.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A journey like no other! With unflinching honesty, bad-ass mom and life-long women’s rights activist Karen Sherman maps her journey, and the stories of those she’s met along the way, through the highest questions of modern womanhood: Beauty, regret, connection, sacrifice, survivorship, and choice. From suburban dinner parties to rapid-fire war zones, long-since abandoned adolescent memories to tallest peak in Africa, this page-turning read charts emotional landscapes that connect women everywhere. Sure to leave the reader with her own soul-quake questions, and a tidal-wave of bravery to face them down.

[Conor A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read memoirs to be honest, but this one was exceptionally well-written and brutally earnest. It thoroughly drew me in. Spanning the course of a year, Sherman depicts her in-the-moment decision to move her family to Kigali, Rwanda. There, she introduces her 3 sons to the work she does with female survivors of war and trauma. The memoir is as academic as it is personal, explaining the intricacies of the Rwandan Genocide and the layers of its influences upon modern Kigali and the women who reside there, while shedding light on Sherman's marriage, career, and childhood. The memoir feels like a love letter to the stories of the women that Sherman catalogues, and subsequently uses as lenses through which to guide her own reinvention and genuine desire for continual betterment. Overall, this is heartfelt, honest, and powerful, honoring the women survivors Sherman is inspired by. I felt that the memoir spoke to the potency of storytelling and community among women as a form of healing in the wake of trauma.
(Plus we had Thanksgiving Dinner together, and she's a lovely lady in person)

[Mary Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Karen Sherman--is the real deal! A humanitarian with over three decades committed to advancing woman while developing and supporting initiatives that inspire and transform lives and communities. Karen thoughtfully takes the reader through life experiences--as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, educator, colleague and friend. I am honored to call her a friend--and have observed her unique talents as a role model and inspirational leader, connecting men and woman around the globe who share a passion for making it a better world.

-Dr. Mary Kay Vona
Consultant and Professor

[Char · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author clearly put her soul onto each page of this book. She carefully linked the pain of her childhood to her work and life as an adult. It is a cathartic journey that all women wish to achieve for balance and understanding in our confusing roles as modern women. Furthermore, she craftily wove in stories of the women she worked with in Rwanda and around the globe, highlighting that no matter where we live as women, we must understand our own struggle and face them with strength.

[Julius P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Sherman has written a very thoughtful and intelligent book about her life , what she has gone through and thoughts about what she has seen. Very good reading and well worth the time to read.
I always appreciate the female perspective of life.

[Wendy Kiang-Spray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about the work, and stories about Rwanda specifically always fascinate me. I struggled greatly with the author’s behavior, especially towards her husband but I do appreciate the honesty it requires to admit to it. So glad she made some revelations eventually.

[Correyharris13gmail.Com · Rating 1 out of 5]

When will white people stop trying to extort Africa?