Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza

I don't post on this blog much anymore. I've started a new one where I choose books from affiliated reading lists (giving me a chance for a small income!) and it keeps me busy. But I had to post here today because I just finished an absolutely incredible book that I need to share.

My book club chose "Left to Tell" for our book this month. I was hesitant to read it because it's one woman's experience surviving the Rwandan genocide. I saw the movie Hotel Rwanda about 10 years ago and it remains one of the most terrifying movies I've ever seen. What happened in Rwanda was horrifying. Seeing it played out on the big screen was difficult (albeit important) to watch. I was worried this book would be a similarly difficult experience. Now that I've finished, I am so grateful I read it. "Left to Tell" is the single most inspiring thing I've read in years--possibly forever.

The real bathroom where 8 women hid for 91
days during the Rwandan genocide.

Immaculee is one of four children growing up in a small village in western Rwanda. When the genocide begins, she hides in a tiny bathroom of a local minister for 91 days along with 7 other women. This bathroom was so, so small. From the photo included in the book, it looks to be narrower than my kitchen table and a similar length. Aside from her oldest brother--who was attending graduate school out of the country when the genocide began--Immaculee was the only member of her family to survive the slaughter.

This book deals with horrific events, but the story is more centered on her spiritual development. Sitting silently in a bathroom for 3 months left lots of time for meditation and prayer. Immaculee shares how God gave her strength, answered her prayers, and eventually showed her how to forgive the killers who murdered her family. It is an intensely spiritual and inspirational story, not to mention written in a way that is gripping from page one until the very end.

If you are nervous about the heavy subject matter, I understand. I felt that way too. But this is a book that everyone--and I mean everyone--should read. It is inspiring; it strengthened my own personal faith in God, and helped open my eyes to the conditions some people must live in. It put into perspective the problems our country faces right now. Suddenly bathroom laws seem completely insignificant when compared to a government that was actively encouraging neighbors to massacre one another.

Go read this book. You'll be inspired and changed and want to make the world a better place.

5 stars

Children of the Promise series by Dean Hughes

I wish I could have found a better picture of these books because I absolutely love the cover art for each one. These are some of my favorite books. I first read them when I was in high school and fell in love with the Thomas family. I have since read them a few times all the way through.

Children of the Promise follows a family, the Thomases, through World War 2. We learn of the experiences of a paratrooper fighting in Europe, a prisoner of war in the Philippines, a nurse in the navy, a German family fleeing their country, and life at home during the war.

One thing I really love about these books is how historically accurate they are. Dean Hughes did a ton of research when writing and I liked knowing that the circumstances surrounding the fictional characters were true. As someone who gets bored extremely quickly when it comes to history, I'm always excited when I find entertaining ways to learn about the past, particularly a war as interesting/disturbing as WW2. There is also a strong Christian influence in these stories which I find uplifting, though I think it's fair to warn someone who might not be expecting religious books. There are some bits that get a little cheesy but overall I find the story to be inspiring, entertaining, and educational. I definitely would recommend these books!

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

This book is by the same author who wrote Flipped, which I read a few months ago. Just before I read this book I decided that I wanted to do a big race before planning to have another baby and, consequentially, getting out of shape. I'd been exercising a lot already so I just needed to pick a race and tweak my training schedule. I thought about doing a half-marathon, but I really hate running so the idea of running 13.1 miles sounds like my idea of hell. My friend mentioned doing a triathlon and the idea stuck with me. I signed up for a sprint triathlon, which is the shortest distance: 1/2 mile open water swim, 15.1 mile bike ride, 3.1 mile run. Easy peasy, right?? Well I worked and I trained and I completed my first triathlon on June 1, 2013. During my training was when I read this book and it was the perfect read to keep my head in the game.

The Running Dream is about a high school track star who loses her leg in a car accident on the way home from a track meet. The story focuses on her personal journey of learning how to cope with losing a leg and adapting her life. She decides that she wants to continue running and works to accomplish her dream despite inconceivable obstacles.

I don't know if this is based on a true story, but shortly after I finished reading came the attacks at the Boston Marathon and I couldn't help but think of those people who lost their limbs and the journey they have ahead of them. I found The Running Dream to be inspiring and it helped me aspire to work harder to accomplish my dreams despite the difficulties life has in store. I definitely recommend this one--uplifting, easy read, all-around good book.

4 out of 5 stars

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book came to me as a recommendation from my mother who read it in her book club. Turns out this is a highly popular book club choice, and after reading it, I can see why. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is set in the 1960's in Mississippi and is told from the perspective of 2 black maids (Aibileen and Minny) and 1 white lady (Skeeter), all of whom are tired of the rigid rules and lines that define their lives. Skeeter wants to be a writer and starts the project of writing a book from the point of view of the maids working in white families. She interviews a dozen or so maids in Jackson who tell their experiences working in a white world, even though it's very dangerous to be telling stories, good or bad, about your past and present employers. Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny work hard to see this project come to fruition and eventually influence the way the people in their town view each other.

It took me a couple tries to really get into this book, but once used to the tone and language the story is written in I really, really enjoyed it. There wasn't much of a love story to it, which is usually something I look forward to in a good book, but I didn't feel like the story needed any romance. It had a good amount of suspense and humor and dealt with real life issues. It made me think about what it might have been like to grow up in the south and deal with issues of race. Having grown up in California where diversity was celebrated, I have never really experienced or understood racism. Now living in Virginia, where I think scars of racism still exist, I have been thinking more about how silly it all is. People are people, and that's that. I really love the character of Aibileen in the story. She's this sage grandmotherly/motherly woman who is strong and kind. She takes care of a little white girl, Mae Mobley, and tells her "secret stories" about Rosa Parkes, Green Martian Luther King, and other examples to teach her tolerance and love for everyone, that they are all the same. She tells Mae that she is smart, kind, and good, hoping that she will see these things in herself and be a good person for it.

I didn't particularly care for the ending; I was expecting everyone to live happily ever after, but it didn't end that way. I won't say what happened, but I was hoping for more. But even still, I was left feeling full of love for people, especially the kids I work with. They frustrate me, tire me out, give me bad dreams, make me want to rip my hair out, but I really do love them. Each one is special and it breaks my heart to know that many of them do not get the love they need from home. The take home message for me from this book was about love, and I think that's a pretty fabulous feeling to get from a book. I definitely recommend this one.

5 out of 5 stars