Clemantine Wamariya

Clemantine Wamariya is the author, narrator, and main character of The Girl Who Smiled Beads. When Clemantine was six years old, she was forced to flee her childhood home in Kigali, Rwanda with her older sister Claire. Though she did not understand the Rwandan political conflicts, Clemantine quickly learned how to stay alive in her ever-shrinking world. Over the course of six years, Clemantine wandered between seven African countries. Though Clemantine relied upon her sister, she also feared that Claire saw her as a burden. After Claire married Rob, Clemantine felt even more alienated and angry. Rob abused Claire, and perpetually abandoned the sisters, even after he and Claire started having children.

Years later, when Clemantine and Claire moved to America, Clemantine's disorientation worsened. She was behind in school, and she had no one investing in her wellbeing. When she began living with a family in Kenilworth...