We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
It took me an agonizing six weeks to read We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories by Rwandaby Philip Gourevitch. Don’t let the word agonizing fool you though, because I thought this book was really important for one simple reason: the more we know, the less ignorant we are.
Philip Gourevitch gives an in-depth account of the genocide in Rwanda where in 1994 800,000 people were killed in a hundred days, mostly by machete. He details the history and politics of Rwanda, the build-up of tension, the outbreak of violence, and the aftermath of killers and victims trying to forge a new life. I found this book difficult to read (not as in difficult subject matter, but difficult in terms of actual content and writing style) for several reasons. One, my head has a difficult time wrapping itself around politics. And this book was very political. It was less about the human stories (although there are several presented) and more about how the conditions of the country lent itself to a genocide, how the genocide was orchestrated, it’s aftermath and how people reacted to it. Second, the writing style didn’t seem to flow for me. I had a really hard time getting in to it.
What I did learn from reading this book, is that when I read books about atrocities, horrors, genocides and such, my interest lies in the human story. I’ll give Philip Gourevitch credit, he tried. But I wanted more. I guess I prefer memoirs rather than accounts of the political atmosphere. Like I said earlier, I had a hard time understanding the politics of the situation. If you were to ask me now, why the genocide in Rwanda occured and who were the main people involved, I’m not sure I could even tell you. And I just finished the book! I kept getting confused on who people were, which groups were which. Don’t get me wrong, I know the basics.
I do think that he did an excellent job giving us in depth coverage of the situation and anybody can learn something from reading this story. This I do know, the Rwanda genocide was awful! 800,000 people maceheted to death in a hundred days while the rest of the world stood by and did NOTHING! It’s enough to break your heart.
For more reading suggestions on the genocide in Rwanda, visit my book list here.
Read my book review of Left to Tell: Finding God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza here.
Very interesting topic and book. I remember reading about the Rwandan genocide and how the whole Tutsi and Hutu conflict was initiated by the colonialists. It all goes back to it, as it seems.
on August 30th, 2008 at 6:09 amWhen I read non-fiction books about topics that I really care for, like Africa and international politics I also feel that I don’t fully understand and I get mixed up with names and groups. So, don’t worry… You’re not alone!
I prefer the more personal stories as well. I think the politics is important for understanding–and in that respect The Translator fell a little short for me because there wasn’t enough background, but I agree that it is humanity that is what’s important.
on August 30th, 2008 at 8:04 amomigosh. wow. i heard about that book. haven’t read it though. oh! and last year in school we watched Hotel Rwanda as a freshman and it was awful what they went through! oh. wow. and i wanted to cry my eyes out but all they did was water. it was so horrible what happened. but yes. i see what you mean by the more we know the less ignorant we are. that i completely agree with. btw. nice review. =]
on August 30th, 2008 at 11:47 amI read this book in college and thought it was beautiful. Great review - this is one of those books people need to read.
on August 31st, 2008 at 2:03 pmActually, I think I’ll like this one - I can’t usually deal with the horror/sadness/”personalness” of crises like this. I need the distance that this book seems to offer. Thanks for the great review.
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on September 6th, 2008 at 2:46 pmI had to read this book over the summer, and although it did take me a while to get through I am very glad that I did. It was a real eyeopener to see first hand accounts of what happened in Rwanda. I knew about this genocide before but this really helped me to understand everything (as well as any teenager can ever really understand anyway). It was especially interesting to know that it happened in April of 1994, the month and year I was born.
on September 17th, 2008 at 2:45 pmI did found the book hard to read and this not because of the style of the author, it was more because of the atrocities i read about. yet what bothers me with this book is that it doesn’t seem to have an other topic thanto describe the genocide.IT must have another topic, something more subtle, just can’t figure out what… and as for the IDN or FB something, i got so confused that i didn’t know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. It seems to me that everyone was at fault
on September 23rd, 2008 at 7:34 pmStephanie - I believe that there is a more to this book than just a description of the genocide. It’s the power of forgiveness, the power of faith, the belief in a higher God and purpose, and the belief that if you visualize something that you really want to do then nothing can stop you. You can realize your dreams.
on September 23rd, 2008 at 11:21 pm