The Weaver's Scar: For Our Rwanda

by Brian Crawford

The story of a Rwandan boy who escape from the 1994 genocide and made it to America. Although fictional, it is a story that is both horrific and inspiring. Faustin was a normal schoolboy growing up, very good at running and soccer. But such dark secrets of the past hung over his family that his father disapproved of his friends and his football. Things only started to make sense when the teachers at school began to emphasize the division between the Tutsis and Hutus.

As the terrible events of the genocide unfold, Faustin discovered what caused his father's disability, experienced the cruelty of his schoolteachers and saw at first hand the horror of neighbor against neighbor. With his family slain, his only chance of survival lay in his running and sheer courage to outwit the enemy. He did not have to do it alone as he discovered the value and courage of an unlikely friend.

Genres: Rwanda, Young Adult, Africa

189 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2013

About the author

Born and raised in Athens, Georgia, Brian Crawford received his undergraduate degree in French and German from the University of Georgia. While a junior, he spent a year studying language, literature, translation, and simultaneous interpretation in Lyon, France, at the Université Jean-Moulin Lyon III, also taking advantage of his location to visit Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. A voracious reader of Camus, Dostoevsky, Kafka, Goethe, Grass, Twain, Poe, Rousseau, and Voltaire, Brian would spend his time in between classes in Lyon and Athens jotting notes that he hoped one day to develop into a novel.

After receiving his undergraduate degree, Brian completed a dual M.A. in French Literature and Modern German Culture from Indiana University. While a graduate student, he took a deep academic interest in the Holocaust and its impact on literature and film, with his graduate thesis examining the challenges faced by post-WWII German authors in creating authentic Jewish characters, i.e., ones not defined by stereotypes. This early research laid the foundation for ideas that he would later put into practice in writing 'The Weaver's Scar.'

Brian speaks five languages, three fluently, and he learned basic Kinyarwanda as he was researching and writing 'The Weaver's Scar.' Brian has written as a hobby since he was in sixth grade, when a short story of his was published in his school's newspaper and won honorable mention in the school's writing contest. Since graduate school, Brian has written poems, essays, a short play, and he has completed three novels, but only sought publication for one. He is currently working on another historical young adult novel set in Europe during World War II, as well as a collection of travel essays based on his time in Rwanda.

Brian is a resident of Seattle, Washington, where he teaches 7th- and 8th-grade Language Arts. He has two sons who are the joy of his life. In his spare time he loves to run, play with his sons, read, listen to opera, and learn foreign languages.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faustin is a 14-year-old Tutsi boy living on a farm in Rwanda at the time of the genocide. As the situation between the Hutus and Tutsis heats up, he tries to go on with his normal life of school, soccer, and running, but when his father learns that he’s been playing soccer with a Hutu friend against his father’s orders, his father beats him. His father was crippled by the violence in 1959, and knows what’s coming. He gets Faustin into hiding just in time; when Faustin returns, he finds the bodies of his parents (and brother? I wasn’t clear on that), and only manages to escape because his Hutu friend helps. They endure a nightmare journey along the river towards Burundi, and Faustin ends up in first a refugee camp, then with an uncle in the US (not a spoiler because the book starts in 1999 as he’s about to graduate high school in the US). No Rwandan will ever forget what happened, and Faustin must decide how best to cope.

I thought this was mostly well-written, though I got confused with the dream sequences; sometimes I couldn’t figure out what actually happened as opposed to what he’d dreamed. I also got confused about his brother; I didn’t remember him being introduced as Faustin’s brother and his age was never given, so I variously thought he was a servant, a grandfather/elderly relative, or a young boy, and I never did find out just how old he really was. Those aside, the structure of the book is well done, the characters have depth and layers, and the description is evocative both of the beauty of the country and its horrors. I think the political situation is well-explained for the age level, though since this is a curriculum resource readers will probably be well-briefed before starting. The violence is shocking, but no worse than what kids encounter in Hunger Games, and with this one they will have a teacher helping them understand and process. The kids will also know from the start that Faustin lives, which will give them some hope to hold onto throughout the tale. The author also did a good job of trying to help kids connect with Faustin through his being in school, his issues with his father, and of course soccer.

The title doesn’t work for me, though. I know it’s supposed to connect to the story of the weaver bird and to Faustin’s weaving soccer balls from banana leaves, but I was expecting a story about a weaver. Faustin is a student, a farmer, a runner, and a soccer player, but not a weaver. I just think kids will find that confusing.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crawford is a teacher at one of my Queen Anne schools and I had the chance to hear him discuss this book at the Queen Anne Book Company. He said he has often taught the Holocaust to middle-school students, but that World War II can feel like really ancient history to 11 – 12 year olds. The Rwandan Genocide occurred only 20 years ago and very little has been written that can be shared with younger readers. This book focuses on the story of a Tutsi boy, Faustin, and what happened to him and his family. There are definitely some horrible parts, but the book would make an excellent read for a classroom, where the teacher could help put the horrific events into context. Even as an adult, I knew very little about what happened in Rwanda, so I learned a lot from this book as well.

[Hannah of the Sky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed through. The prose was ok but not stellar, the symbolism often felt forced. And there was a lot of traumatic stuff. I suppose that's to be expected, given the subject matter (how does one write a novel about the Rwandan genocide that is not horrific?) but I can't help but feel there should be some way to provide more impact, less gore. In some ways the overt coverage of the violence (even though I know it's toned down from the reality !) dulls the reader to its hardship. This book was hard to get through for multiple reasons. I would feel uncomfortable giving this book to its target audience. One good thing about the book is there are decent characters.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for understanding the Rwandan genocide years, through the eyes of a young man. Skillfully created characters make this book a compelling read, with a clear, true voice.
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My full review (not much longer) is here: http://vst3in.wordpress.com/2014/02/1...

[Ken Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author, Brian Crawford is an excellent teacher at my daughter's alma mater, Seattle Country Day School. He has direct experience with the country and people of Rwanda and has done an amazing job of teaching the history, honoring the lost, and transporting the reader to a fictionalized example of the myriad possible genocide stories. The plot and character development was page turning and eye opening. A good read for kids and adults alike.

[OWS Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fast-paced, vividly written introduction to the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath. The characters are well-rounded and sympathetic, and the book provides enough historical and cultural context for the reader to make sense of what happened, while keeping the plot suspenseful and absorbing.

[Laurie]

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