Book Review: "Inside the Hotel Rwanda" By Edouard Kayihura and Kerry Zukus

Date Read – March 31^st 2014

Date Published – April 1^st, 2014 – BenBella Books

Source: Publisher

For most people who know about the Rwandan genocide in 1994, they first learned about it by the Academy Award nominated 2004 film Hotel Rwanda staring Don Cheadle—who was nominated for Best Actor—portrays Paul Rusesabagina, the manager of the Hotel Milles Collines who single handily saved over 1500 people who sought refuge inside the luxury hotel. He was named the Oskar Schindler of Africa and dubbed a hero by the world. But as the cliché goes, you can’t believe everything you see, especially a Hollywood film. Edouard Kayihura escaped the Hutu extremists and made his way to the hotel. What he saw and experienced was the complete opposite from the film with Rusesabagina threatening to kick out anyone who didn’t pay and drinking with the men responsible for orchestrating the genocide. The hundreds of people, both Hutu and Tutsis alike, have to survive the killings and terror from both the outside and within.

 When I began reading Inside the Hotel Rwanda, I wasn’t able to put it down. The harrowing stories of survival from within the hotel were heart wrenching as survivors struggled day after day for food and drinking the chlorine pool water while Rusesabagina drank the day away with the money he extorted from the people themselves. It was confusing at times while I read and sometimes, I had to go back and re-read the passages. That being said, it not only made me furious, but it was also deeply moving to read about the real heroes of the story, from the UN peacekeepers keeping guard, to the ordinary individuals who risked their lives in bringing people to the hotel, and the camaraderie built regardless of ethnicity. Right after I read Shake Hands with the Devil, written by Romeo Dallaire, commander of the UN mission during the genocide in Rwanda, (A book I highly recommend) I saw the film and was able to point out the inaccuracies of the events and misrepresentation of characters. I do owe some credit to the film in first learning about Rwanda, but still.  

  Inside the Hotel Rwanda is a riveting expose of a so-called hero that Hollywood created and an examination of how it came to be. It is also a deeply moving tribute for the million or so Rwandans killed, the survivors who endured the horror of the genocide, and the brave individuals who risked their lives for the very sake of humanity and who are finally getting their own long-overdue recognition.

To learn more about the book, go to their website

A film I recommend watching, and a great counter-piece to "Hotel Rwanda" is "Shake Hands with the Devil" a Canadian film from 2007, based on the book. It stars Roy Dupuis as Gen. Dallaire and it's a powerful and soul-stirring performance. Not to mention, filmed entirely in Rwanda and in the actual locations where the events took place. Watch the trailer.

Review "Chanda's Wars" by Allan Stratton

Publication date: March 8th, 2008 - HarperTeen
Date read: August 20th, 2013 (First reading: January, 2009)
Source: Public Library

 For the past six months, Chanda has had to become an adult in caring for her two younger siblings. The pain of losing her mother to AIDS is still fresh for Chanda, especially the shame and stigma surrounding the disease. Chanda decides to take her brother and sister to see their relatives, determined to end a bitter feud and mending their relationship. Little does Chanda realizes is that a horrifying attack conducted by the ruthless General Mandiki with his band of child soldiers, will reek destruction and death throughout the whole village. With a young tracker accompanying her along with her wits and courage, Chanda will venture out and try to rescue her two siblings whose lives hang in the balance.
  I first read "Chanda's Wars" back in 2009 and it wasn't until yesterday that I saw it on the shelve at the local library. It took me less than a day to finish the book. Four years later, it took me little more than five hours to finish. The story is fiction, but the circumstances are very real. Hundreds of thousands of children are being used as soldiers, forced to commit acts that no child should ever do. At times it is hard to read, but the story itself and it's heroine, will keep you reading until the wee hours of the morning (like me). 
 "Chanda's Wars" is a heartbreaking, horrifying, but life-affirming story filled to the brim with humanity, courage, love, and hope. Allan Stratton has done justice for the children whose lives are destroyed by war and giving us a story worth reading and a cause worth fighting for.  

Review: "A Marker to Measure Drift" by Alexander Maksik

Publication- July 30th, 2013-Knopf
Date Read- June 21st, 2013
Source- Edelweiss
In a remote Greek island, Jacqueline, a young woman, lives in a cave on a beach. Everyday, she drifts from the present struggles of finding food and shelter, to the memories of her life before madness engulfed her country of Liberia. As she navigates through the destructive terrain of the past horror, Jacqueline finds sources of joy from the delicious coffee she drinks to swimming through the cool sea under the merciless sun. It's not until some time,  she learns that life isn't only about surviving, but ultimately thriving. 
Hypnotic, sensual, and captivating, Alexander Maksik's "A Marker to Measure Drift" is brutal but beautifully written. I was entranced by Jacqueline's journey through the horror of the past and her struggle to reclaim her life. This will grip the reader until the very end. 

Review: Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani

Date Finished - Mar 16, 2011

In a raw and luminous voice, Chris Abani's novella "Becoming Abigail" is the story of a young Nigerian woman whisked away to London by her Uncle and sold into prostitution. The scene's in this novella are very graphic and Mr. Abani takes us into Abigail's world of grief and betrayal. I don't want to give too much away, since this is a book to be savored despite it's wrenching narrative. Nothing short but memorable.