Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga; my thoughts
Spoiler free review Cockroaches is a memoir by Scholastique Mukasonga that chronicles her experience being a Tutsi leading up to the Rwandan genocide and the stories of those who did not survive. The book is relatively short; it only took me two days to read it, but despite its brevity, it packs so much pain and heartbreak that it's honestly hard to even talk about. With its linear, chronological structure, the novel explores themes of ethnic cleansing, rape, displacement, survival, and more. I would recommend caution when reading this book because, while there are moments that are funny or happy, it becomes extremely descriptive of the atrocities her surviving family member witnessed and spares no details. Overall, it is a fantastic book with heartbreaking testimonies. If you want to learn more about African History and the genocides that occurred in East Africa, I would definitely read this book because, unlike a textbook, it doesn't just cover policies and significant ev...
