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Summary:
Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.
Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them.
It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
The inner strength that can be ours
Customer Rating:
A close family member is heading off to Rwanda soon and I have been reading lots of horrifying books about the 1994 genocide of Hutus against Tutsis. Immaculee Ilibagiza's memoir, "Left to Tell" is another painful and frightening look at the genocide, told by one whose life was spared almost reluctantly by her Hutu pastor. Immaculee's story begins on the bucolic shores of Rwanda's beautiful Lake Kivu. Her father and mother are teachers and community leaders who have raised a loving family in a modest home. When the genocide approaches, the family and many of their Tutsi neighbors are caught flatfooted and unawares. Soon they are engulfed in a swirl of ethnic hatred and madness that is unimaginable. Immaculee finds her way to her pastor's home and is hidden, along with several other women and girls, in a tiny bathroom. For several months, they remaining in their unlikely sanctuary, while drug-crazed killers roam the countryside and ransack the house looking for Tutsi "cockroaches" to slaughter.
In her torment and isolation, Immaculee finds refuge in her Catholic faith and in constant prayer. A modern-day St. Anthony, she is tempted toward hatred, revenge and doubt by voices she attributes to the devil. Saved by God, she believes, when hundreds of thousands of her countrymen have been systematically murdered, she clings to faith, hope and forgiveness.
"Left to Tell" is a beautiful story of faith in the face of incomprehensible evil. It seems to have become a soothing balm to Western readers who share Immaculee's faith, if not her heroism and inner strength. I find this a bit problematic, since it was the abandonment of the Tutsis by we Western powers that allowed the genocide to continue. One can honestly ask whether a little more backbone on the part of the "civilized" world would have counted as much as Immaculee's many prayers or personal deliverance. As such, her book serves as a misdirected balm to our guilty consciences.
But given the other choices at our disposal when faced with mindless human horror -- madness, bitterness, despair, grief and vengeance -- Immaculee's choice of hope and forgiveness seems not only sane, but exemplary. "Left to Tell" is a testament to the strength that faith, applied appropriately, brings to the human spirit, enabling it to survive hatred and betrayal, even unto death.
Includes many pictures of Immaculee's family and friends, before and after the genocide.
Must read!
Customer Rating:
This book changed my view of the world. I could not put it down until I finished reading it. It is a very strong book and I highly recommend it. I bought some copies for relatives and friends.
book order
Customer Rating:
Great book, very inspiring. Delivery was very fast. Needed it so I could finish book in time to see the author speak at local university. Thanks.
An inspirational young lady
Customer Rating:
I've read many books dealing with this subject matter, but never one this inspiring. Immaculee is someone truely amazing. This book details her suffering, her courage but most importantly her faith in God.
Fantastic Book
Customer Rating:
Very good book. Very inspirational and an amazing story. Easy to read and told in a very compelling way. I highly recommend this book to anyone. AMAZING!!
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