This is one of the most amazing books that I have ever read: Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. If you aren’t familiar with Immaculee or her story, I’ll give you a brief rundown here:
During the 1994 Rwandan genocide when the death of Rwanda’s Hutu president sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis, Immaculee spent 91 days with 7 other women in a small bathroom at a local Hutu pastor’s house to escape being brutally raped and killed. According to her website, she weighed 115 pounds at the beginning of the 91 days (she was a university student), and she emerged from the bathroom weighing just 65 pounds. She credits her survival to prayer and the set of rosary beads that her devout Catholic father had given her. When she finally escaped her hide-out, she found that most of her family had been brutally murdered.
This book is amazing for several reasons–to hear the story of someone who survived against all odds in unimaginable conditions makes you feel like you can do anything. You also learn first-hand what happened in Rwanda, which can help you understand how violence like this occurs, so we can work together to stop it. And you will see an example of someone who is able to forgive murderers and turn her life around with strength, courage, and faith.
Older teens and (of course) adults should read Left to Tell and learn about Immaculee and her amazing story as well as share it with others. Education is one of the first steps toward stopping this kind of violence against women (and men too, in this case) around the world. Although this happened in 1994, people are beaten and killed every day for their race, religion, and sex. Tomorrow, I’ll let you know how Immaculee is helping Rwanda and how you can, too.
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