Book 9
- Berger, John - Ways of Seeing (149 pages)
- Vonnegut, Kurt - God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian (72 pages)
- Roth, Joseph - The Legend of the Holy Drinker (100 pages)
- Hrabal, Bohumil - Closely Observed Trains (87 pages)
- Bloomfield, Barbara & Chris Radley - Couple Therapy: Dramas of Love and Sex (171 pages)
- Feist, Raymond E. - Magician (689 pages)
- Feist, Raymond E. - Silverthorn (424 pages)
- Faber, Michael - Under the Skin (296 pages)
- Gourevitch, Philip - We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda (351 pages)
I like to read both location- and event-appropriate books, and this year marks an important anniversary of several important events, including the start of World War One, the opening of the Panama Canal, and, more recently, the Rwandan genocide 20 years ago.
I remember being moved deeply by Hotel Rwanda when it was released several years ago. Until then, I don't think I had even heard about the atrocities in Rwanda or about the animosities between Tutsis and Hutus. When I travelled to Kenya a few years ago, I searched for books on Africa, and Gourevitch's book was widely praised as the best book about Rwanda and the genocide.
Suffice it to say the book did not disappoint. Gourevitch weaves together accounts of survivors with his own personal experiences and research of Rwanda to create a most compelling account. He explores the various historical causes that led to this "perfect storm" of tragic events, the harrowing details of life during the massacres, and the aftermath, including the sluggish and inappropriate international reaction, the negative effects of well-meaning refugee camps, attempts to bring the genocidaires to justice, and the implications of the war for Rwanda, its immediate neighbours, and the rest of Africa and the world.
This is one of the best and most moving histories I have ever read, and I wholly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing more about the situation in Rwanda and Africa.