Review by Jill Williamson
I was in college during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. It’s beyond my comprehension to think about the bloodshed that was happening on the other side of the world. Immaculée Ilibagiza tells the true story of her life growing up in Rwanda with her loving family. She learned early on that she was in a different tribe than the majority of her neighbors, but never did she consider that they might turn on her and her family. That her friends might someday pick up machetes and guns and murder anyone from her tribe. But that’s exactly what happened.
Immaculée’s father and brothers encourages her to hide out at a pastor’s house nearby. He hid her and seven other women in a tiny half bathroom for three months. She could hear the killers roaming the streets on the other side of the wall. She prayed that God would protect her family and the women in the bathroom. But when she finally got out, she was one of the few survivors left to tell what had happened.
This is a powerful and shocking story of what evil can do in the hearts of people. The killers were murdering innocents in the streets, women, children, and infants alike. I was amazed at Immaculée’s story of how she grew close to God in the three months she hid in the bathroom, but I was even more amazed at how she learned to forgive those who killed her family and friends. This is hard to read and shares some graphic details of how Immaculée’s loved ones were killed. I strongly recommend it to anyone who harbors hatred against another. To see what this young woman went through and that she rose above the hatred and evil that she had the opportunity to embrace in revenge was inspiring. I am so proud of her.
Age Range: 16 and up
Genre: memoir
Part of a Series: no
Pages: 210
Publisher: Hay House
Released: 2006
Leave a Reply