Thursday, May 25, 2006
An Ordinary Man
An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography
by Paul Rusesabagina
Hardback: 207 pages
Publisher: Viking Penguin, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-03752-4
My roomate Weston and I each bought a copy of this book after we went and saw Paul Rusesabagina speak at WSU early this spring. We waited forever for the book to be sent to us, and when it came I absolutely devoured it.
In this book, I especially appreciated Mr. Rusesabagina's use of voice in his writing. He has a very personable style, and he writes exactly the way he speaks. It is good to hear about the genocide from a Rwandan's point of view. I thought that Rusesabagina's discussion about the motivations for the genocide were the most succinct that I've seen yet. He speaks plainly, yet his words are powerful. It is easy to see how this man's personality and character were able to stave off the attacks on the Hotel Des Mille Collines.
Every time I read an account of the Rwandan genocide, I am horrified by what the victims had to go through. It is surprising that anyone would ever want to talk about their experiences, let alone write about them in a published book. I think, though, that Rwandans understand the significance of their history and want to prevent such things from happening in the future. This is why we need to read these types of memoirs: so we will be committed to stop them from ever happening again.
by Paul Rusesabagina
Hardback: 207 pages
Publisher: Viking Penguin, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-03752-4
My roomate Weston and I each bought a copy of this book after we went and saw Paul Rusesabagina speak at WSU early this spring. We waited forever for the book to be sent to us, and when it came I absolutely devoured it.
In this book, I especially appreciated Mr. Rusesabagina's use of voice in his writing. He has a very personable style, and he writes exactly the way he speaks. It is good to hear about the genocide from a Rwandan's point of view. I thought that Rusesabagina's discussion about the motivations for the genocide were the most succinct that I've seen yet. He speaks plainly, yet his words are powerful. It is easy to see how this man's personality and character were able to stave off the attacks on the Hotel Des Mille Collines.
Every time I read an account of the Rwandan genocide, I am horrified by what the victims had to go through. It is surprising that anyone would ever want to talk about their experiences, let alone write about them in a published book. I think, though, that Rwandans understand the significance of their history and want to prevent such things from happening in the future. This is why we need to read these types of memoirs: so we will be committed to stop them from ever happening again.
permaLink posted by Kylan @ 1:42 PM 
