by Imaculee Ilibagiza
I stumbled upon this book in my quest for interesting memoirs and I must admit I was not disappointed. The book is written from Imaculee's perspective and starts off on a nostalgic note where she is describing her childhood. Her vivid description of the lush Rwandan countryside will make you long to visit shagz. The first few chapters suck you right in and this lays the groundwork of how deep an emotion you'll feel for the rest of the book. It's pretty obvious that she had a happy childhood, but was also very sheltered and mostly unaware of the political climate in the country. Therefore, when she wakes up one morning and Hutus are suddenly butchering Tutsis with machetes, it takes you by total surprise and you're right there with her wondering what the hell is going on.
The rest of the book takes you through the long, awful days spent in hiding with seven other Tutsi women in a tiny little bathroom that belongs to a Hutu pastor. I read the book while holding my breath and felt as though I were in that bathroom with her, willing those Hutus that are looking for her to disappear. How they all survive until the end of the genocide is truly remarkable and Imaculee's own intelligence and quick thinking is evident. There are many vivid descriptions in the book that will stay with you long after you've put the book down. Mine is the one where her oldest brother's head is split in half because the perpetrators wanted to see what "the brain of a person with a Masters degree looks like".
I stumbled upon this book in my quest for interesting memoirs and I must admit I was not disappointed. The book is written from Imaculee's perspective and starts off on a nostalgic note where she is describing her childhood. Her vivid description of the lush Rwandan countryside will make you long to visit shagz. The first few chapters suck you right in and this lays the groundwork of how deep an emotion you'll feel for the rest of the book. It's pretty obvious that she had a happy childhood, but was also very sheltered and mostly unaware of the political climate in the country. Therefore, when she wakes up one morning and Hutus are suddenly butchering Tutsis with machetes, it takes you by total surprise and you're right there with her wondering what the hell is going on.
The rest of the book takes you through the long, awful days spent in hiding with seven other Tutsi women in a tiny little bathroom that belongs to a Hutu pastor. I read the book while holding my breath and felt as though I were in that bathroom with her, willing those Hutus that are looking for her to disappear. How they all survive until the end of the genocide is truly remarkable and Imaculee's own intelligence and quick thinking is evident. There are many vivid descriptions in the book that will stay with you long after you've put the book down. Mine is the one where her oldest brother's head is split in half because the perpetrators wanted to see what "the brain of a person with a Masters degree looks like".
Overall, the book is well written and gripping enough to make you want to read it nonstop. However, this is a very personal representation of history and if you're like me, you will end up with a lot of unanswered questions when you turn the last page. It was not until after I'd read the book and was busy recommending it to everyone I knew that I found out her story has been featured on Oprah and a few other places, so many people are probably familiar with the story. But, it's worth a read. It's a testimony to how truly animalistic humans can be, but it is also a testament to the strength of the human mind and how hope and faith can help you survive trauma.
Overall, the book is well written and gripping enough to make you want to read it nonstop. However, this is a very personal representation of history and if you're like me, you will end up with a lot of unanswered questions when you turn the last page. It was not until after I'd read the book and was busy recommending it to everyone I knew that I found out her story has been featured on Oprah and a few other places, so many people are probably familiar with the story. But, it's worth a read. It's a testimony to how truly animalistic humans can be, but it is also a testament to the strength of the human mind and how hope and faith can help you survive trauma.
~SBB~
Overall, the book is well written and gripping enough to make you want to read it nonstop. However, this is a very personal representation of history and if you're like me, you will end up with a lot of unanswered questions when you turn the last page. It was not until after I'd read the book and was busy recommending it to everyone I knew that I found out her story has been featured on Oprah and a few other places, so many people are probably familiar with the story. But, it's worth a read. It's a testimony to how truly animalistic humans can be, but it is also a testament to the strength of the human mind and how hope and faith can help you survive trauma.
~SBB~
