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shalisha's review against another edition
3.0
A hard book to read without being disgusted, but as you go on you become intrigued and then confused at how a group of seemingly ordinary men could become heartless killers of their neighbour brothers, sisters, children and wives.
oliviaar's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting book about the Rwanda genocide of Tutsis, as told by the killers, the Hutus. The interviewer condemns their actions, but offers insight to the killers' mindset. Based on interviews from the prison, this book digs into their statements on the months leading up to the genocide, their reasoning behind joining the killings (and the auntheticness of those reasonings), propaganda, forgiveness, going back to "normal life," and their bond to one another.
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
3.0
I feel like this book is a really neat follow up to Life Laid Bare, which I really enjoyed reading. I prefer the first book however, because all the survivors stories were quite different. From the Killers perspective, it got quite repetitive. This isn't totally surprising because it was almost like each individual killer was just another cog in a machine. I am glad I read the book but I felt like maybe it could have been a bit shorter. I'd recommend reading Ordinary Men before reading this book because I felt it gave me a greater understanding.
literaryfeline's review against another edition
4.0
http://www.literaryfeline.com/2007/06/machete-season-killers-in-rwanda-speak.html
krysreads's review against another edition
3.0
Via Black 'n Write Review
My final thoughts:
All in all, this book is a very depthy read, which to the readers discretion, is a mix of falsities and truth. The killers who were interviewed have consistently remained to tell things as if they might’ve been the victim twisted with the reality they were corrupted by their own elders that were part of the ancien régime, but they often don’t realize how difficult the act of forgiveness would be by the survivors. Their hopes that these people would just forget and allow these men to move on. Mostly speaking in an air of being brainwashed through repetition.
- Krys
My final thoughts:
All in all, this book is a very depthy read, which to the readers discretion, is a mix of falsities and truth. The killers who were interviewed have consistently remained to tell things as if they might’ve been the victim twisted with the reality they were corrupted by their own elders that were part of the ancien régime, but they often don’t realize how difficult the act of forgiveness would be by the survivors. Their hopes that these people would just forget and allow these men to move on. Mostly speaking in an air of being brainwashed through repetition.
- Krys
2000ace's review against another edition
5.0
I noticed that one of my Goodreads friends who is a Holocaust librarian was reading this book, so I decided to follow his lead. Words cannot begin to convey the depth and complexity of emotions which this book elicits. More than anything else, it is devastating, and insightful: giving the reader a glimpse into the minds of the Hutu killers during the Rwandan genocide.
All I can do is provide you with one small, chilling example of what one Hutu farmer thought when asked about the word genocide:
"It seemed like normal activity." I will remember those words for a long time to come. This is a book that leaves the reader with many unanswered questions concerning evil, forgiveness, and human nature. Highly recommended.
All I can do is provide you with one small, chilling example of what one Hutu farmer thought when asked about the word genocide:
Pio: Killing Tutsis... I never even thought about it when we lived in neighborly harmony. Even pushing and shoving or trading harsh words didn't seem right to me. But when everyone began getting out their machetes at the same time, I did so too, without delay. I had only to do as my colleagues did and think of the advantages. Especially since we knew they were going to leave the world of the living for all time.
When you receive firm orders, promises of long-term benefits, and you feel well backed up by colleagues, the wickedness of killing until your arm falls off is all one to you. I mean, you naturally feel pulled along by all those opinions and their fine words.
A genocide - that seems extraordinary to someone who arrives afterward, like you, but for someone who got himself muddled up by the intimidators' hig words and the joyful shouts of his colleagues, it seemed like normal activity.
"It seemed like normal activity." I will remember those words for a long time to come. This is a book that leaves the reader with many unanswered questions concerning evil, forgiveness, and human nature. Highly recommended.
aubreysmith9412's review against another edition
4.0
This is the last book I had to read for a school paper this semester. As per others I've had to read so far, it was rather tough to get through. Aside from the spring of 1994, Rwanda has seen violence and power struggles for decades. It would seem as if Rwanda is a country that has been ruled by violence for far too long - so long, in fact, that the inhabitants of the country don't know how to function in any other way.
To this day, the killers firmly believe in their actions during the spring of 1994. The tensions between the Hutu and the Tutsi are present even today. Many of the killers return to their communities in fear of retaliation, while survivors fear a recurrence of the genocidal mass killings of 20 years ago.
There are those who do regret their participation in the massacres, but they are also quick to point out that they weren't the only ones participating. Sharing the blame between many individuals is a defense mechanism that the killers have developed in order to go on. These first-person accounts are at times chilling, but all the time eye opening.
Many people have a misconception that all killers are manipulative, psychopaths with no moral center. While this is true in some instanced, it certainly doesn't apply to all perpetrators of genocide.
Taking on this academic pursuit for the purpose of my paper has certainly opened my eyes, and reading this book has helped me understand, undoubtedly, that there are many different motivations for genocidal mass violence. Not all perpetrators are crazy psychopaths with a thirst for blood. But one thing remains clear - at the time of their actions, they firmly believed that what they were doing was the right thing. And that is the most chilling notion of all.
To this day, the killers firmly believe in their actions during the spring of 1994. The tensions between the Hutu and the Tutsi are present even today. Many of the killers return to their communities in fear of retaliation, while survivors fear a recurrence of the genocidal mass killings of 20 years ago.
There are those who do regret their participation in the massacres, but they are also quick to point out that they weren't the only ones participating. Sharing the blame between many individuals is a defense mechanism that the killers have developed in order to go on. These first-person accounts are at times chilling, but all the time eye opening.
Many people have a misconception that all killers are manipulative, psychopaths with no moral center. While this is true in some instanced, it certainly doesn't apply to all perpetrators of genocide.
Taking on this academic pursuit for the purpose of my paper has certainly opened my eyes, and reading this book has helped me understand, undoubtedly, that there are many different motivations for genocidal mass violence. Not all perpetrators are crazy psychopaths with a thirst for blood. But one thing remains clear - at the time of their actions, they firmly believed that what they were doing was the right thing. And that is the most chilling notion of all.
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