We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families

I read this book with my heart in my stomach. At the same time, I could not put it down.

For anyone interested in understanding the history of Rwanda, the genocide that occurred there, the colonialization that pitted the Hutus against the Tutsis and the artificiality of separating these two groups, this is a brilliant and essential book.

I learned about how the Rwandan population was arbitrarily separated into two groups - the Tutsis and the Hutus - by the Belgians. They are actually the same race but the Belgians labeled those who had 'whiter' features as Tutsis and those who looked more traditionally 'African' as Hutus. A class bias system was put in motion.

The genocide was so horrible that it is difficult to read about. I could not help but wonder how something like this could happen in our day and age without any intervention from other nations. The book will give you the details at no expense to accuracy and detail. What amazed me is that the world watched on seemingly unaware and/or unwilling to commit to any sort of intervention. The United States, instead of intervening, held meetings to ascertain exactly how many deaths constituted genocide. While these meetings were held, hundreds of thousands Rwandans were killed.

Many of Hutus and Tutsis were intermarried, not unusual as Tutsis and Hutus were of the same race and tribe. However, the Tutsis were persecuted and killed and anyone whose family had a Tutsi member feared for their lives and those of their loved ones.

This book informed me of the role that the United Nations played (or didn't play) in this horrible time. The United Nations were dubbed 'peace keepers' but were given no real authority or weapons with which to insure peace. They were impotent to protect anyone, even themselves. They were so understaffed that they had no leverage at all. The head of the U.N. peace keepers suffered a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after leaving Rwanda and wrote his own book to describe the desperation of his circumstances.

Many of us do not know that Madeline Albright was Secretary of State at the time of the Rwandan Genocide. President Clinton was not supportive of getting involved in this African nation's problems despite our nation's participating in a world convention denouncing genocide and promising to intervene at any cost. President Clinton went so far as to ask Ms. Albright to hold up an essential U.N. vote for several days that would have moved troops into Rwanda right away. Her holding up this vote caused over 100,000 additional deaths. After things settled down in Rwanda, Ms. Albright and President Clinton flew there. Ms. Albright got out of the plane to apologize to the people. President Clinton never left the plane.

The brutality of the killings and people not knowing where to turn, left this once idyllic country in ruins and turned brother against brother, family member against family member. It is a tribute to Mr. Gorovitch that he so carefully researched and documented an event that was hardly publicized and which was a holocaust of immense proportions.

I think anyone interested in Africa and its history will find this book fascinating. It is written in a series of interconnected vignettes, each a chapter, and I believe that one of the chapters served as the basis of the movie 'Hotel Rwanda'. I can't say enough about the brilliance of this book. It is difficult to read because of the painful and brutal nature of the subject matter but it reads easily, accessible to anyone who is interested whether they have any prior knowledge of Africa at all.

It will open up your eyes to the way international politics operates and at some points you may wish you had your eyes closed. However, anyone who has read this book will understand the nature of denial in its fullest sense. Mr. Gorovitch does the world proud in examining a country that many had never heard of nor were interested in. I can not thank him enough.

This book not only provides a detailed account of the Rwandan genocide but also makes us reflect on the responsibilities of the international community. We should learn from history and work together to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Heavy Read!

In today's fast-paced world, we often find ourselves bombarded with light and easily digestible information. However, there is great value in engaging in what can be termed a "heavy read."

A heavy read is not something to be feared or avoided. It is an opportunity to delve deep into complex ideas, explore different perspectives, and expand our intellectual horizons.

When we undertake a heavy read, we are challenged to think critically, analyze the text, and make connections. It requires us to slow down, pay attention to details, and truly engage with the material.

This type of reading can be both intellectually stimulating and personally rewarding. It can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

So, the next time you come across a challenging piece of literature or a thought-provoking article, don't shy away. Embrace the opportunity for a heavy read and discover the treasures that lie within.

Early in the book, Gourevitch directly addresses the reader, stating,

"Perhaps, in examining this extremity with me, you hope for some understanding, some insight, some flicker of self-knowledge - a moral, or a lesson, or a clue about how to behave in this world: some such information. I don't discount the possibility, but when it comes to genocide, you already know right from wrong. The best reason I have come up with for looking closely into Rwanda's stories is that ignoring them makes me even more uncomfortable about existence and my place in it."

There aren't any easy lessons here. There's just looking, which, as Gourevitch points out, is worthwhile of itself. The book is truly engrossing. It takes the reader on a journey through the terrible events of the Rwandan genocide. It is an important work that shines a light on a horrific chapter in history.

The details presented in the book are both disturbing and eye-opening. It forces the reader to confront the reality of what happened and to grapple with the moral implications.

Highly recommended, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in history, human rights, or the power of storytelling. It will leave a lasting impression and make you think about the world in a different way.

There's not much I can say on this.

This book is truly an informative gem and a really solid source for delving into the Rwandan genocide. However, I do wish that I had taken the time to prepare myself beforehand by acquainting myself with the basics of the genocide. I firmly believe that in that way, I would have had at least a rudimentary understanding of the events that were unfolding and who all the key players were.

Or perhaps...I'll simply have to read this remarkable book again. The reason being that it is so dense with a wealth of information, along with numerous names and dates. This, of course, is by no means a bad thing. It was just a little challenging to retain everything with very little to no existing knowledge on the subject. But I am determined to gain a better understanding and truly absorb all the valuable insights this book has to offer.

Continually, I force myself to read accounts of historic atrocities. This is not because I have a particular fondness for the sheer horror of man's capacity for evil. Quite the opposite, in fact. I study these books with the intention of understanding how things can go so terribly wrong and what actions I can take to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

Knowing very little about the 1994 Rwandan genocide, I decided to pick up the intriguingly titled 'We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families' by Philip Gourevitch. After reading it, I cannot help but feel a bit underwhelmed and disappointed. This is a fine book, with thorough research, but it has some stylistic flaws.

Writing a book on recent historic events should not be a desk-bound exercise. A serious researcher should visit the sites, interview the parties involved, and ideally immerse themselves in the culture where the events took place. Not a theoretician, Gourevitch did exactly this. He made numerous trips to Rwanda and its neighboring countries from 1995 till 1997. During these visits, he interviewed not only key figures in the genocide but also regular Rwandans who lived through the horrible one-hundred-day massacre. This results in a wide variety of real-life characters and viewpoints, with the author interjecting noticeably little bias, although he rightfully doesn't let everybody off the hook easily.

Gourevitch's writing style is easy to follow, reading somewhat like an extended newspaper article. He combines facts and figures with personal stories, interwoven with his own account of his travels and interviews. Ideally, this would create a complete picture of the genocide, with subjective and objective narratives neatly forming a coherent story. However, the author only partially succeeded in this.

In books that explore similar events, such as The Rape of Nanking, the author usually emphasizes one of three aspects: objective facts, personal accounts, or the author's own experience. In 'We Wish To Inform You...', it felt like the author wanted each of these three aspects to be equally important, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Although it features eyewitness and survivor accounts, most anecdotes are too brief to really impact the reader. The historic events are described, but lack the details and depth of a book like 'Ordinary Men' to gain a deep understanding. The author's own feelings and memories are recounted, yet not frequently or personally enough for the reader to connect with him.

Perhaps this style of writing is better suited for a newspaper article than an entire book, as it left me overall a bit dissatisfied. Furthermore, even though Gourevitch's choice of words is accurate, the style itself can be distracting. By switching between different narratives and times, it disconnects the reader from the story. For example:

So the cleaning lady was a scapegoat; it
was herself whom Fossey was mad at. Leaving her hair lying about like that was bad form: anybody could get hold of it and work a spell on her. I didn’t know at the time that Fossey was popularly known in Rwanda as “the sorceress.” I said, “You really believe that hocus-pocus?” Fossey shot back, “Where I live, if I didn’t I’d be dead.”

Five years passed, and I saw in the newspaper that Dian Fossey had been murdered in Rwanda. Somebody killed her with a machete. Much later, there was a trial in Rwanda, a murky proceeding: a Rwandan defendant was found hanged in his cell before he could testify, and one of Fossey’s American research assistants was tried in absentia, found guilty, and sentenced to death.

Here we find, within two short paragraphs: the account of Fossey in the past, an interaction between the author and Fossey at a later date, the author's memory of an event five years later, and an objective description of events even later. If all the information in this book had been re-arranged into less intertwined perspectives and times, it would have made for a more immersive book. It's far from a bad book; it's actually quite good, but could have been great with a different stylistic approach.

There is a lot to take away from the Rwandan genocide. Lessons about human nature and politics that could perhaps help prevent massacres in the future. These lessons are scattered throughout 'We Wish To Inform You...', and many readers will undoubtedly find some of them. However, due to its style, I fear that some of the deeper messages and understandings might have been lost, which is a shame for such a well-researched and important book.

This was truly horrifying.

It was a sight that sent shivers down my spine and made my heart race with fear.

No matter how many books like this I read, I don't think I will ever understand the human capacity for brutality, cruelty, and hatred.

The stories within these pages are like nightmares come to life, revealing the darkest corners of the human soul.

How can people be so heartless, so devoid of empathy?

It is a question that haunts me, and yet, the more I read, the more I am faced with the reality of just how terrible humanity can be.

But perhaps there is still hope.

Maybe by shining a light on these atrocities, we can begin to understand and work towards a more compassionate and just world.

9/10 or 10/10
This is such a fun read! I was completely filled with joy throughout the entire process. It's such a happy and cheerful topic that made every moment of reading this book a pure delight. However, to be honest, I don't really know what I gained from reading this book other than perhaps a sense of depression. I don't think I obtained any positive points except for the fact that I truly, fucking hate Europe. It's a very disturbing and sad read, yet it's a must-read.

It's strange how a book can evoke such a mix of emotions. On one hand, the cheerfulness of the topic brings a certain level of enjoyment, but on the other hand, the overall experience leaves me with a sense of unease and a rather negative perception of Europe.

Despite the negative aspects, I still feel that this book is worth reading. It makes me think and reflect on various things, and perhaps that's the true value of a good book.

Maybe in the future, I'll look back on this reading experience and understand it better. For now, it remains a complex and somewhat confusing read that has left a lasting impression on me.

How does one rate a book about a genocide in the middle of another one?

This is a truly complex and thought-provoking question. Genocide is an extremely tragic and heinous event that shakes the very core of humanity. When evaluating a book that delves into such a topic during another genocide, several factors come into play.

Firstly, the accuracy and authenticity of the research presented in the book are of utmost importance. The author must have conducted thorough investigations and presented reliable facts and figures.

Secondly, the book's ability to capture the emotions and experiences of the victims and survivors is crucial. It should strive to give a voice to those who have suffered and help readers understand the magnitude of their pain.

Additionally, the book's writing style and narrative structure can also impact its rating. A well-written and engaging book will be more likely to hold the reader's attention and effectively convey its message.

In conclusion, rating a book about a genocide in the middle of another one requires a careful consideration of multiple factors. It is a task that demands both objectivity and empathy, as we attempt to come to terms with the horror and tragedy of these events.