An Ordinary Man : An Autobiography (original 2006; edition 2006)

This short memoir by a man who saved over a thousand people from genocide in Rwanda in 1994 is cautionary,moving, witty and wise. Quite a window into the personality of Paul Rusesabagina, whose story was dramatized several years ago in the film "Hotel Rwanda." ( )

I was only 12 years old when the genocide in Rwanda took place. I heard about it on the news my dad watched every night, but admittedly I was not exactly politically observant back then, and the news was nothing more than background noise to me, so I knew next to nothing when I saw "Hotel Rwanda". The movie was eye-opening, to say the least, and I was incredibly moved by it. But I hadn't known that Paul Rusesabagina had written a book until very recently when I happened to stumble on it here on Goodreads. I'm very glad that I discovered it here, and I'm even more glad to have read it.

For some strange reason, I tend to gravitate towards emotionally difficult subject matter when it comes to my reading material. I've only recently realized this about myself, but I've always been drawn to books about devastating subjects - death, loss, abuse, the holocaust etc. I don't really know why I read these, but I know that they affect me immensely, and that I love the raw feeling that I have when I have read something emotionally horrifying, when I just feel incredibly lucky to be who and where I am. Maybe that makes me a little callous, but if so, then so be it. I think that the gut-wrenching stories help us to understand ourselves and each other and the world better, and there is just something wonderful about books that take us out of ourselves to walk a mile in someone else's shoes - even when there is a rock in one.

So, with that being said, when I saw that Rusesabagina had written his story down, I needed to read it. I had been moved, and awakened, by the movie, and I was thrilled that there was an autobiography that would allow me to learn more about the man himself, and the country that had caused so much devastation for itself and its people.

The book was not nearly as emotionally moving as it could have been. It was written very simply, and directly. No suspense, no drama, just his story in everyday language. A better author could have wrung every tear and every heartache out of these 207 pages, and Rusesabagina did not do that. This is not a criticism though. The lack of artistry lends it a truth and a weight that would have felt fake and forced had it been more showy. Rusesabagina simply told his and his country's story as he understood it.

I enjoyed reading it immensely. It felt intimate, like Rusesabagina and I were having a conversation. This was not the best written book, and I counted quite a few incongruent details and typos and grammatical errors, but aside from that, this was an incredibly compelling story. It did not move me in the same way that I'm used to with talented authors who excel at shaping their words carefully to evoke a desired response out of the reader. This isn't that kind of story. Rusesabagina simply and honestly introduced us to his Rwanda, the Rwanda he grew up in and loved and would always love, and also the sinister Rwanda lurking just under the surface, which would rise in 1994 to kill 800,000 people in a little over 3 months. He gave us the the Cliff's Notes edition of Rwandan history, which showed how something like this could happen, in this day and age, when we've supposedly learned this lesson before. He tells us how the world's most powerful nations failed to act to prevent the massacre, and how he used his wits and his courage and his words and connections alone to save over 1,200 people from a certain and gruesome death.

I don't know how true his story is, but there is a bibliography at the end with other books on the subject, which has given me a place to start, if I decide to read more, specifically "Leave None To Tell The Story: Genocide in Rwanda" by Alison Des Forges and "We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories From Rwanda" by Philip Gourevitch. Even if it is not 100% true, and he's allowed time and memory and perception to rewrite some of the specifics, it doesn't really matter to me. I just know that Rusesabagina's is a heroic and brave story that inspires me. He saved people when his entire country had gone mad. If even half of the thoughts and wisdom imparted actually went through Rusesabagina's head in the moment, then he is nothing less than awe-inspiring and amazingly wise. He shows how a person can rise above the mob mentality and be a hero just by showing common decency and refusing to falter. He shows how a situation like this can happen,and predicted it will happen again, but most importantly, he shows that there is good and evil in all of us, and it is our choice which one we will let rule us.

Rusesabagina's version of "ordinary" is one that we should all aspire to be, I think. ( )

Rwanda. Rusesabagina is the "Hotel Rwanda" man, and this is his account of his life and role in protecting people from the genocide. Rusesabagina describes village life during his childhood, his career in hotel work, and the events that erupted into warfare and slaughter. He sees his actions as an extension of his ethical responsibilities as a hotelier, which I liked very much. ( )

A wonderful, moving story that proves the power of one person to make a difference. ( )

This is an amazing book. It not only gives a description of what it was like at that time in Rwanda, but it also gives some background as to how something like that could have happened. The writer shows a great amount of courage and humility. I think the best part of the book is showing the power of words for good or evil. Words of hate led to the crisis, and words also saved lives. He also talks about how no person is entirely evil. He tries to see the good in everyone. I think this book and The Wave by Morton Rhue should both be required reading. Maybe if people learned to think critically and not get carried away by power and group think, we would have less problems in this world.