Take a photo of a barcode or cover
651 reviews for:
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
Philip Gourevitch
4.33 AVERAGE
651 reviews for:
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families
Philip Gourevitch
4.33 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
This book was lent to me many years ago by a friend of my dad's. I was young and dumb at the time, and never even tried to read a book so heavy and dense with information as this, so I forgot about it in my bookshelf. I'm older now and stumbled upon it once again and thought, with the current genocide happening in Palestine, what better a time to educate myself more on the topic and finally open it.
This book was wonderfully written, and devastating. The writer did an amazing job walking through Rwanda's history while weaving in memories from survivors and perpetrators alike. It was harrowing, and made me sick to think of the parallels we're seeing repeated today. But it opened my eyes to a new part of the world, and allowed some wonderful insight from wonderful speakers.
I think this was a very important read as well as a very good read. Despite the content, it was enjoyable- the writer has a great voice and I liked what he had to say and how he said it. It did not feel like a "history book".
Incredibly powerful. I recommend absolutely everyone read this.
This book was wonderfully written, and devastating. The writer did an amazing job walking through Rwanda's history while weaving in memories from survivors and perpetrators alike. It was harrowing, and made me sick to think of the parallels we're seeing repeated today. But it opened my eyes to a new part of the world, and allowed some wonderful insight from wonderful speakers.
I think this was a very important read as well as a very good read. Despite the content, it was enjoyable- the writer has a great voice and I liked what he had to say and how he said it. It did not feel like a "history book".
Incredibly powerful. I recommend absolutely everyone read this.
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A truly harrowing read but absolutely necessary. Philip Gourevitch tells the complex story of the Rwandan Genocide. Far from the western school of thought that such horrific violence was the result of ancient tribal hatred, he takes care to explain that the ethnic divide within the country came about as the result of German, then Belgian colonial governance.
From this context he traces events leading up to the months of genocide in 1994 before describing the violence itself in heartbreaking detail. Written in 1997, the book has the great advantage of being constructed by eyewitness accounts from the author’s expeditions to the area. Here he pieces together a bloody story from the perspective of both the perpetrators and the persecuted.
For me, the book becomes truly magnificent in its treatment of the complex moral and political realities that obscured the genocide, from the West’s failure to stop the killing and unbelievable support of the killers after they fled the country, to the attempts by the victors to build something new, peaceful and lasting in the aftermath, a tragedy given the ongoing strife and conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda’s slide into authoritarianism. Perhaps most brilliant is Gourevitch’s examination of the question of forgiveness and reconciliation on the parts of the Rwandan government, but also by those who witnessed their family and friends slaughtered by people they knew intimately.
Overall this book is brilliant, the culmination of years of journalism and study into something authoritative upon one of the worst evens of recent history and piercing in its interrogation of the moral and social questions surrounding it.
From this context he traces events leading up to the months of genocide in 1994 before describing the violence itself in heartbreaking detail. Written in 1997, the book has the great advantage of being constructed by eyewitness accounts from the author’s expeditions to the area. Here he pieces together a bloody story from the perspective of both the perpetrators and the persecuted.
For me, the book becomes truly magnificent in its treatment of the complex moral and political realities that obscured the genocide, from the West’s failure to stop the killing and unbelievable support of the killers after they fled the country, to the attempts by the victors to build something new, peaceful and lasting in the aftermath, a tragedy given the ongoing strife and conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda’s slide into authoritarianism. Perhaps most brilliant is Gourevitch’s examination of the question of forgiveness and reconciliation on the parts of the Rwandan government, but also by those who witnessed their family and friends slaughtered by people they knew intimately.
Overall this book is brilliant, the culmination of years of journalism and study into something authoritative upon one of the worst evens of recent history and piercing in its interrogation of the moral and social questions surrounding it.
A chilling tale that even 25 years later still acts as a warning for us to pay attention when tragedy calls.
It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere. ~ Primo Levi
How do you "rate" a book about genocide? On the merits of the reporting? On its "balanced" or "just" interpretation of history? On its tone or political slant? On the first-hand accounts presented? On your personal horror at both reading about what happened, and at probing the limits of your own ignorance? (How did I not know this?!)
The 5 stars is first and foremost a Thank You to Gourevitch for writing such a well-documented, historically detailed, passionate account of the Rwandan genocide. After reading We Wish to Inform You, I am more than ashamed that I knew very little of the tragedies Rwandans suffered during the 1990s (and beyond, past and present). This book provides an excellent history, and contextualizes events enough to allow even those very poorly educated in the matters of African colonization like myself to grasp some kind of understanding (or informed incomprehension).
I also appreciated hearing the voices of the Rwandans Gourevitch interviewed as part of his research and reporting. Both factions - Tutsis and Hutus - are represented, though the voices of the Tutsis are what shapes the narrative. These voices do not quite constitute an oral history, but offer the same effect: a nuanced and humanized perspective that is much more insightful into the human condition, imho, than traditional histories, which are fascinating of course, but which tend towards the abstract.
I am not quite sure how to rate other aspects of the work, but I also figure, any flaws are minor compared to the overall appraisal, which is that I think everyone should read this book, because as humans, we should not be ignorant of such potentialities in our own natures. Usually when reading history, I am more critical (or at least, I try to be!) - but in this case, there is a dearth of written material on the subject, and general public awareness is also limited, if it exists at all.
Also, the "flaws" I refer to may not even be flaws - one, for example, is that Gourevitch editorializes at times and does not always stick to the more detached journalistic voice. But... in this case - how can I blame him? Gourevitch is not a historian (plus historians editorialize all the time, if history is interpretation). And, as a child of Holocaust survivors, he is understandably passionately empathetic with the Tutsi's case (as probably we should all be, as human children).
Content-wise, I would not do the work any justice if I attempted any kind of brief summary. But I will say this: one aspect that sadly did not surprise me, yet still angered me to tears, was the "West's" complicity in both turning a blind-eye to the Tutsi's plight, and in fomenting conflict in the region to begin with in the process of colonization and subsequent support for dictatorial puppets.
Highly Recommended.
How do you "rate" a book about genocide? On the merits of the reporting? On its "balanced" or "just" interpretation of history? On its tone or political slant? On the first-hand accounts presented? On your personal horror at both reading about what happened, and at probing the limits of your own ignorance? (How did I not know this?!)
The 5 stars is first and foremost a Thank You to Gourevitch for writing such a well-documented, historically detailed, passionate account of the Rwandan genocide. After reading We Wish to Inform You, I am more than ashamed that I knew very little of the tragedies Rwandans suffered during the 1990s (and beyond, past and present). This book provides an excellent history, and contextualizes events enough to allow even those very poorly educated in the matters of African colonization like myself to grasp some kind of understanding (or informed incomprehension).
I also appreciated hearing the voices of the Rwandans Gourevitch interviewed as part of his research and reporting. Both factions - Tutsis and Hutus - are represented, though the voices of the Tutsis are what shapes the narrative. These voices do not quite constitute an oral history, but offer the same effect: a nuanced and humanized perspective that is much more insightful into the human condition, imho, than traditional histories, which are fascinating of course, but which tend towards the abstract.
I am not quite sure how to rate other aspects of the work, but I also figure, any flaws are minor compared to the overall appraisal, which is that I think everyone should read this book, because as humans, we should not be ignorant of such potentialities in our own natures. Usually when reading history, I am more critical (or at least, I try to be!) - but in this case, there is a dearth of written material on the subject, and general public awareness is also limited, if it exists at all.
Also, the "flaws" I refer to may not even be flaws - one, for example, is that Gourevitch editorializes at times and does not always stick to the more detached journalistic voice. But... in this case - how can I blame him? Gourevitch is not a historian (plus historians editorialize all the time, if history is interpretation). And, as a child of Holocaust survivors, he is understandably passionately empathetic with the Tutsi's case (as probably we should all be, as human children).
Content-wise, I would not do the work any justice if I attempted any kind of brief summary. But I will say this: one aspect that sadly did not surprise me, yet still angered me to tears, was the "West's" complicity in both turning a blind-eye to the Tutsi's plight, and in fomenting conflict in the region to begin with in the process of colonization and subsequent support for dictatorial puppets.
Highly Recommended.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
slow-paced
def shortcomings fr an outsider’s pov writing and his search for heroes in such a decimating genocide.
I did really appreciate how much of the book focused on the “after” (can you call it that?) of the 90 days, how humanitarian aid aided more of the génocidaires than the Tutsi survivors, how many never got justice and had to live amongst their families’ murderers, and how the genocide spilled over into other nations.
Good reminder that the western powers are often more focused on monetary gain than humanitarian aid. fuck France for selling weapons and protecting known killers during the genocide, and fuck the US for selling transport and aid vehicles to the UN for such high prices that it delayed lifesaving rescue. Also, that the US has always believed that if they don’t want to get involved in non-western “political struggles,” then they should actively petition against any UN-proposed solution.
tbh much more in depth than what we learned in school (we only learned abt the one American savior, so it was nice to hear real stories that actually centered Rwandans)
I did really appreciate how much of the book focused on the “after” (can you call it that?) of the 90 days, how humanitarian aid aided more of the génocidaires than the Tutsi survivors, how many never got justice and had to live amongst their families’ murderers, and how the genocide spilled over into other nations.
Good reminder that the western powers are often more focused on monetary gain than humanitarian aid. fuck France for selling weapons and protecting known killers during the genocide, and fuck the US for selling transport and aid vehicles to the UN for such high prices that it delayed lifesaving rescue. Also, that the US has always believed that if they don’t want to get involved in non-western “political struggles,” then they should actively petition against any UN-proposed solution.
tbh much more in depth than what we learned in school (we only learned abt the one American savior, so it was nice to hear real stories that actually centered Rwandans)
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was my introduction to the genocide in Rwanda. I could not put this book down, despite desperately wanting to put this book down. Gourevitch does a beautiful job at bridging the cultural divide and drawing you into the world of the Tutsi's and Hutu's.