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An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda
 
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An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda (Paperback)

by Paul Rusesabagina (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda + We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families + Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
Total RRP: £27.97
Price For All Three: £18.28

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (2 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 074758558X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0747585589
  • Product Dimensions: 19.3 x 12.7 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 25,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #3 in  Books > History > Countries & Regions > Africa > Eastern > Rwanda
    #11 in  Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Africa
    #79 in  Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards

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Review

'Read this book. It will humble and inspire you' Mark Doyle, Daily Mail 'Part memoir, part polemic, part social history, An Ordinary Man is a deeply impressive work that pays fitting tribute to the 800,000 who lost their lives' Scotland on Sunday 'He recounts the ordeal with a narrative tension worthy of a superior thriller, and the passages on the build-up to the genocide are particularly compelling ... it is quite as harrowing as you'd expect' Observer 'A fascinating book ... by an ordinary man, about ordinary people, the kind of daring it takes to survive, and most of all the courage it takes to endure' Sunday Telegraph

Scotland on Sunday

`Part memoir, part polemic, part social history, An Ordinary Man
is a deeply impressive work'

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An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda
82% buy the item featured on this page:
An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda 4.9 out of 5 stars (15)
£5.13
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
5% buy
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda 4.9 out of 5 stars (31)
£7.46
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families
5% buy
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families 4.8 out of 5 stars (20)
£5.69

 

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "Stubborn belief in the triumph of common decency", 24 May 2007
By G. L. Haggett "glynlhaggett" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
One man's story of his experience during the Rwanda genocide of 1994, notable for the author's dignity and humility in the face of insufferably daunting events. He encapsulates his attitude in the quotation I have used for this review.

While he pulls no punches in portraying the harrowing nature of the events, he is at great pains at all times to stress that he was only one of many who were putting themselves at risk in order to protect their fellow man. He is particularly good on the almost casual way in which the hideous and the horrific can very soon be accepted as the norm. The clarity of the writing style turns subject matter which could have been very offputting into a very readable examination of the nature of humankind. An important, moving book.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Humbling, 31 May 2006
By Nick (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
I saw Hotel Rwanda last year and thought it was an amazing film, it was no surprise that Don Cheadle and Sophie Okenado both received Oscar nominations or that Paul Rusesabagina was referred to as an African Oscar Schindler.

This book is a welcome addition to the film as it gives Paul's back story. His childhood outside Kigali and early experience of ethnic hatred in the 50's when his father hid Tutsi refugees in their village. As a young man he trained to be a clergyman, but abandoned that when he fell in love later becoming a hotel manager. The story of the siege at the Mille Collines hotel is powerfully told with the tension and heart in mouth feeling I experienced while watching the film.

The benefit of the book over the film comes with bringing Paul's story up to date. The telling of his life now in Belgium with his own children and his nieces whose parents were murdered in the genocide. Rusesabagina himself is never boastful when recounting his actions considering them that of any decent person or an Ordinary Man.

In the same way as the Schindler story and that of Primo Levi - An Ordinary Man is a book that should be read by everyone as a reminder of the worst and best that humanity is capable of.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An Ordinary Man, 8 Oct 2007
By Spider Monkey (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
This is the powerful story of Paul Rusesabagina and how he survived the Rwandan genocide, whilst trying to help as many others at the same time. The film 'Hotel Rwanda' was based upon his story. The writing style is extremely easy to read, even if the subject matter makes for harrowing and even uncomfortable reading at times. Paul comes across as a modest man, with the utmost integrity and you can't help but be impressed by how he behaved during the genocide and worked toward saving as many refugees as possible. He explains the historical context to the genocide, as well as some of the politics, both national and international as it was carried out and this makes for an enlightening read. Fortunately, he is able to write this harrowing story and is still able to finish the book leaving you feeling inspired and not without hope for the future. A great book of a turbulent time that was ignored by western nations and international bodies as it occurred. Well worth a read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a book...
... but a journey. Touching, human, and thought-provoking. He takes Rwanda not as one case but as a case we can and should all learn from. Read more
Published 7 months ago by TwirlySue

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!
I loved reading this book. I do not only admire Paul for his survival and negotiating skills during the genocide but I admire him as a person. Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. D. T. Noot

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review for University
I had already seen this book and bought it for an extended book review I had to do for university about a book that would be good for general managers of hotels to read... Read more
Published 12 months ago by A girl with "mixed" taste

5.0 out of 5 stars An Ordinary Man
This is the powerful story of Paul Rusesabagina and how he survived the Rwandan genocide, whilst trying to help as many others at the same time. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2007 by Spider Monkey

5.0 out of 5 stars Saviour
Confronting killers with a combination of diplomacy, flattery and deception, Paul Rusesabagina managed to shelter more than 1,200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus while homicidal mobs... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2007 by David I. Howells

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulously Real, Fabulously Inspirational
What a wonderful human being. A totally modest, unassuming gentlemen who to this day, does not believe he done anything other than what should have been done in such harsh times... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2007 by John From London Town MBE

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Great Man!
I found this book on Amazon whilst searching for a new read and felt compelled to read it. From the outset you realise that Paul is a great human being with the most amazon amount... Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2007 by Moomaloid

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of a Man of Huge Integrity!
Paul shares with us the horrors of the 1994 Rwandan genocide from his perspective as the hotel manager of one of the top hotels in Rwanda. Read more
Published on 15 Sep 2006 by Bella Blue

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, humbling and beautifully written
Paul Rusesabagina starts his moving account of that bloody spring in 1994 with a brief overview of Rwandese history, the impact of colonialism, and the dynamic of the hutu-tutsi... Read more
Published on 27 July 2006 by KareNina

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read
Fantastic book about a very brave and wonderful man in a very sad time, another book i couldnt put down, had seen the film b4 reading the book which really helped me to picture... Read more
Published on 3 July 2006 by Mr. S. Hobbs

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