Some people tried to hurt us to protect themselves, their family and communities...This was one of the consequences of civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy. Even people who knew you became extremely careful about how they related or spoke to you.

How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?

I was still hesitant to let myself let go, because I still believed in the fragility of happiness.

Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them.

...children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings, if given a chance.

As a kid in Africa, you were so connected to nature itself because you went farming, watched the moon out at night, observed how the sky was different, and how the birds chanted different songs in the evening and the morning.

My childhood had gone by without my knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen.