Read the Stories. Meet the Authors.
This fall, young people from the Alliance of Genocide Victim Communities’ eight member communities are reading books that preserve personal experiences of genocide, persecution, displacement and survival.
Each Youth Fellow will read a book connected to their community, reflect on its themes and prepare questions for the author with support from a community mentor. From December 4–9, 2026, the youth will lead live online conversations with participating authors.
We invite you to choose a book, read alongside them and join the conversations.
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The Reading List
Primed for Death: Tigray Genocide—A Survivor’s Story
By Goitom Mekonen Gebrewahid
Goitom Mekonen Gebrewahid bears witness to the Aksum massacre, detention, escape and one family’s struggle to survive the war in Tigray.
Through his first-person account, Goitom places the experiences of individuals and families at the centre of a conflict too often described only through statistics. The book preserves testimony about violence, loss and survival while asking what it means to remember those whose stories might otherwise disappear.
Themes: Testimony, family, mass violence, detention, survival and remembrance
I Survived ISIS: A Yazidi Woman’s Escape from Genocide
By Roza Alomar with Sean Steel
Roza Alomar recounts surviving ISIS’s attack on her Yazidi community at age ten and her family’s eventual journey to a new life in Canada.
Written from the perspective of a young survivor, the memoir follows Roza and her family through devastating loss, repeated attempts to escape and eventual resettlement. Her story offers an intimate account of what genocide means for a child—and of the courage required to survive, remember and begin again.
Themes: Childhood, family, genocide, displacement, resilience and resettlement
First, They Erased Our Name: A Rohingya Speaks
By Habiburahman with Sophie Ansel
Follow Habiburahman’s journey from a childhood shaped by the Rohingya people’s loss of rights and identity to his courageous escape from Myanmar.
Born in western Myanmar, Habiburahman grew up as restrictions on the Rohingya steadily intensified. His memoir connects one young person’s life to a wider history of discrimination, violence, statelessness and forced displacement. It is also a determined act of remembrance by a man whose people were told they did not belong.
Themes: Identity, statelessness, displacement, memory and resistance
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We Measure The Earth With Our Bodies
By Tsering Yangzom Lama
Follow a Tibetan family across fifty years, from a dangerous escape across the Himalayas and refugee life in Nepal to a new generation rebuilding in Toronto.
Told through the lives of Lhamo, Tenkyi, Dolma and Samphel, the novel traces how colonization and exile reshape families across generations. Weaving together loss, love, memory and sacred heritage, Lama explores what it takes to preserve identity, culture and connection to a homeland one can no longer return to.
Themes: Family, exile, displacement, cultural memory, identity and belonging
Themes: Childhood, family, genocide, displacement, resilience and resettlement
About The Next Chapter
The Next Chapter is AGVC’s youth storytelling and leadership initiative.
Youth from genocide-affected communities are not simply reading these histories—they are helping carry them forward. Through close reading, mentorship and direct conversations with authors, participants will strengthen their interviewing, communication and leadership skills while creating meaningful intergenerational dialogue.
The project was inspired by an annual initiative within the Canadian Tutsi community, where young people read newly published memoirs and interview their authors. More than 30 years after the genocide against the Tutsi, new memoirs continue to emerge, allowing each generation to encounter these histories through individual lives and voices.
Join the Live Conversations
Live, youth-led author interviews will take place online between December 4 and 9, 2026, as part of,
This Is How It Starts: A Week of Film, Stories and Community Dialogue
Interview dates, participating authors and viewing links will be announced as they are confirmed. Choose a book. Read with us. Join the conversation.
A Note for Readers
These books address genocide, persecution, violence, displacement and personal loss. Please approach them with care and read at a pace that is appropriate for you.