A review by smithel
A Time for Machetes: The Rwandan Genocide / The Killers Speak by Jean Hatzfeld

4.0

This is an extremely disturbing read, obviously. It should be read with caution. I also have some reservations about the way the book was structured, which is why I've knocked off a star. But it's also the result of some determined, careful, and sensitive work undertaken over a long period of time by someone who really took the care to do a cautious and thoughtful investigation into an event that's difficult to think about, let alone dwell on. There's some really important thinking here about what can lead perfectly ordinary people to unthinkable acts, all the levels at which there need to be interventions that can cause people to suddenly turn on their neighbours. Jean is careful never to glamourize the lives of the killers, but neither does he excuse them by painting them as simply monsters. Be aware what you're getting into, but if you can bring yourself to do it, it's worth it. I never knew very much about this period in history, and this was an awful but thought-provoking way to find out more. I'm glad, though, that I read it after the previous work in the series.