by Immaculee Ilibagiza
Rated: PG-13
Imagine a world where your friends, people you've had dinner with and worked side by side with for years, turn against you and hunt you down like an animal. In 1994, this is what happened to Immaculee and her Tutsi family in Rwanda. This book is a true story of one woman's struggle to survive during the Rwandan holocaust and how she found God in the midst of horror. This journey of faith takes place without a physical step being taken during Immaculee's 90-day sojourn stuffed in a tiny bathroom with 7 other women, afraid at every moment they would be discovered by the opposing tribe and killed.
This war resulted in many deaths in both the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. However, this book is not about the political realities of this conflict and the overwhelming number of innocent deaths that occurred on both sides. It is a story of one woman's survival and is therefore very one-sided. The purpose of this book is not to give an unbiased view of the conflict but is a very personal narrative sharing Immaculee's journey of faith and how she found the strength to forgive those who killed her beloved family.
This book describes graphic and disturbing scenes of violence and hatred and is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. This is a book strictly for adults only. If you can stomach the stories of the atrocities, though, it is an incredibly moving book about overcoming anger and hatred through faith in God.
