The Barefoot Woman

Book, Recommended by Cian

Writer Scholastique Mukasonga lost 27 members of her family to anti-Tutsi violence during the Rwandan genocide. One of those souls was her mother, Stefania, whose ingenuity, humor, love, and absolute devotion to her family shine through this slim memoir. In mournful, playful chapters centered on daily life in their village—bread, their house, weddings—Mukasonga weaves a funeral shroud for her mother. This lyrical memorial won the Seligmann Prize in France and was recently long-listed for the National Book Award in the United States.