I would consider myself a highly empathetic person. When reading a book or watching a show, I tend to become emotionally invested in the characters. I usually read fictional books, and so even though I get invested in the characters it is easy to move on and forget about the emotional trials the characters went through. However, I did not have that same luxury with this book. How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiymana is the story of her real life journey through the war-torn Congo to a life of activism in America.

Not surprisingly, I was first strongly impacted by the novel when Sandra talked about the raid on the refugee camp, and the death of her youngest sister. At first she leads the reader to believe her mother was shot and killed “The bullets went into her belly, and she crumpled. She was still carrying my sister on her back” (pg. 8). Though it is not explicitly stated at this point that her mother and sister had died, it seems as though it would have taken a miracle for them not to be. But, much like the message of Sandra’s story, the reader has hope that a miracle can happen. It is not until 70 pages later that the reader finally learns about the fate of Sandra’s mother and sister. I think the biggest impact on readers is when we learn of Deborah’s last words…”Hold me” (pg. 78). The image planted into the readers mind of a mother having to comfort their dying child is sickening. It makes one mad that so many people are against refugees coming into Canada, when this is something they face daily. I do not understand how our nation can be so desensitized to these horrific occurrences. More of these stories need to be heard. We need to learn empathy.

The part of the book I connected with most strongly was Sandra’s struggle with her own faith. I went through a similar struggle throughout my life. I grew up with very strong faith, but when I went through the death of a family member I started to question this. My struggles seem minuscule in comparison to the loss and struggle Sandra and her family went through. Sandra states “It was hard for me to see God at the time” (pg. 104). When tragedies happen, many people struggle to hold onto their faith. I connected with Sandra’s story because despite the horrors she saw, and the struggles she went through, she was able to stay connected to her faith. Sandra did not let the tragedies she endure rule her life. She stuck with her faith, and she decided to use what she went through to raise awareness and to fight for the rights of people who do not have a voice. People need to hear stories like Sandra’s and be inspired by her strength. I wonder, if more people were required to hear stories such as this, if we could increase our empathy; and instead of seeing refugees as people who are taking over jobs, and instead see that they are people who are looking for a better life. Sandra makes it clear that she loved her life in the Republic of the Congo, and would have continued living there, but her family was not safe. I think too often people in Canada and the United States do not realize that many refugees would stay in their home country if they could. Would it not be the same for us? If suddenly Canada was stricken with war and we were forced to flee for safety, would we not be broken up about leaving the only home most of us have ever known? Once again, it is empathy, and hope that we need, and How Dare the Sun Rise shows us a perfect example of just that.