A Tutsi pastor, in a letter to his church president, used the chilling phrase that gives this book its title . . .
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"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus--if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wrenching book, he explains why the Rwandan genocide should not be written off as just another tribal dispute.
The "stories" in this book's subtitle are both the author's, as he repeatedly visits this tiny country in an attempt to make sense of what has happened, and those of the people he interviews. These include a Tutsi doctor who has seen much of her family killed over decades of Tutsi oppression, a Schindleresque hotel manager who hid hundreds of refugees from certain death, and a Rwandan bishop who has been accused of supporting the slaughter of Tutsi schoolchildren, and can only answer these charges by saying, "What could I do?" Gourevitch, a staff writer for the New Yorker, describes Rwanda's history with remarkable clarity and documents the experience of tragedy with a sober grace. The reader will ask along with the author: Why does this happen? And why don't we bother to stop it? --Maria Dolan, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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‘I know few books, fiction or non-fiction, as compelling as Philip Gourevitch’s account of the Rwandan genocide’ Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm ‘Like the greatest war reporters, Philip Gourevitch raises the human banner in hell’s mouth . . . This volume establishes him as the peer of Michael Herr, there is no limit to what we may expect from him’ Robert Stone ‘Magnificent, terrifying . . . Gourevitch’s account is factual, unemotional – and utterly gut-wrenching . . . The great achievement of his book is that it allows us to imagine this unimaginable crime . . . and those who stood by, human beings all’ Irish Times ‘A sparkling jewel that shone no matter what angle you looked at it from’ Amanda Foreman ‘Gourevitch constructs a powerful indictment against international inaction . . . In his meticulous journalistic reconstruction he drives home the point that this is a history like any other . . . It is also a stark rebuttal of those who have tried to separate what happened in Nazi Germany and what happened in central Africa half a century later’ Observer ‘Philip Gourevitch has written the book which is the key to these dramatic and terrifying events . . . Should be compulsory reading . . . for all UN officials involved in peace-keeping operations and humanitarian aid, from the Secretary General on down’ Guardian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
...This book was written by a journalist and does not claim to be an academic history of Rwanda during the genocide. It's concerned more with the reasons individual people did what they did rather than a clinical reporting of facts. Its account of the complete failure of the International community to respond in an even partially adequate fashion coupled with its insights into the minds of the Rwandan people - both Hutu and Tutsi - before and after the genocide make it an absolute must read for anyone who really wants to know what happened in Central Africa over the past 10 years. That Philip Gourevitch is also a brilliant writer is just one more reason to buy this book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
An excellent history of Rwanda's 1994 genocide told by the author, a journalist for the "New Yorker" magazine, but including a large number of personal accounts. If a book about this horrible salughter doesn't make you feel ashamed then it shouldn't be published. This one works, brilliantly. It is also more up to date than other books on the Rwanda crisis in that it includes descriptions of the Rwandan Patriotric Army's forcible dissolution of the refugee camps in Zaire in 1996. This is a period which supporters of the RPA tend to have problems with. Gourevitch is certainly one of those supporters but he tackles the issue head on. The most haunting passages of this book, which live in the memory, are the personal recollections of loss and survival in the genocide. Having spoken to many survivors myself I know how difficult it is to retell those awful stories without destroying their immediacy and horror, but Gourevitch manages this perfectly. I would urge anyone who is thinking of reading this book to do so, but would encourage them to look at Fergal Keane's masterpiece, "Season as Blood" as well. For the full tragedy, fear and anger, Keane is the better guide.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
An excellent account of a horrifying event in history, and an indictment of the Western powers which stood by and did nothing.
The book is accessible and brillianty written, and despite its topic it does not crush the spirit. Gourevitch chronicles chronicles every extreme of good and evil, form the priest who refused to help a group of desperate Tutsis, saying "you must die, God no longer wants you", to the Hutu hotel manager who risked his life and saved a thousand refugees armed only with a few friends in high places and a drinks cabinet to bribe the genocidal soldiers.
The book is a work of journalism, and people who want a comprehensive and fully referenced academic work may want to look elsewhere, and at times the author does perhaps treat the RPF too uncritically, but these are minor complaints.
As a document of genicide, and as an insight into the dark side of the human soul, this is almost the equal of Primo Levi's "If This is a Man"
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our...
I was extremely pleased with the book I ordered from this dispatcher. It arrived well within the allotted time and was in excellent condition. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Holly R. Humphries
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent
concise, informative, and written beautifully. this book is incredibly readable despite its' subject matter. i want everyone to read this.
Published 18 months ago by rosie
5.0 out of 5 stars
an astonishing book
It has been one of the most interesting book I ever read. A tale of the worst genocide since the second world war rigorous and emotional.
Published on 20 Nov 2010 by Marco Gulisano
5.0 out of 5 stars
An amazing account and truly heart wrenching
This book is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Gourevitch tells the account of the atrocities in Rwanda with amazing eloquence and some the most evocative and beautiful... Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2010 by Reedz
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Compelling Account of the Rwandian Tragedy
Many books have been written in recent years describing events within the Rwandian atrocity but this is the first and least biased account so far, that includes the nuances and... Read more
Published on 1 July 2010 by N. M. Allen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it
In a dream world, all journalism would be this good: the sentences are simple and clear, the facts come piling in, and there are interviews on nearly every page. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2009 by James Blackman
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best book to start understanding Rwanda with
This is undoubtedly the best book to read in order to understand the events of and leading to the genocide in 1994. Read more
Published on 22 July 2008 by R. Rees
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read
This is an awesome book. Written by an American journalist in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide this is an excellently written book which tells the real stories of people... Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2008 by BM
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true story
In this well researched and beautifully written book about the genocide in Rwanda, Philip Gourevitch did a brilliant job not only in telling us about the genocide, but also in... Read more
Published on 8 July 2005 by Peter Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Shaming of the West
This book is extremely powerful. I came to it after a personal recomendation and after seeing the equally powerful Hotel Rwanda. Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2005 by I. Curry
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