Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

"Left to Tell" is an amazing story told by Immaculée Ilibagiza who survived one of the most unsettling disturbing events known as the Rwandan genocide. This is one of the greatest books I've had ever read that covers the themes of resilience, faith, God, family and forgiveness. There were moments of this book that left me to indescribable thoughts and led me to tears due to how heartbreaking her experiences were. Just the fact that this story was based on real experiences is absolutely mind boggling and nerve-wracking. Her descriptions of her family were so strong and meaningful--revealing heartfelt moments which makes us reader feel emotionally invested. Overall, I highly recommend this book which makes us reader appreciate life moments and understand the importance of forgiveness.

Powerful story of faith and survival. Immaculee’s strength and trust in God inspired me. A must read.

This book touched my heart deeply. Immaculée’s story of surviving the Rwandan genocide is heartbreaking, inspiring, and full of faith. Her strength, forgiveness, and spiritual journey moved me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s a story everyone should read to understand the power of hope, prayer, and resilience. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended!

I purchased this book from Amazon.com back in 2008. I had to re-read it again as I just read two of her other books as of late. Since my first reading of this book, I find literally hundreds of others have not only read it, but have written Reviews of it on Amazon.com. I doubt this Review will ever be read due to all those prior, but I must reach out to say that this woman has given us (Christians to non-religious sects) a lot to think about..in all of her books; yet this one is of her own strength in her belief system...as it strengthened her as well as tided her over...thus giving her the skills to survive while hiding only inches away from a machete custom made for her, so to speak. (That is not a true statement but a true admission of those Hutu's looking for her in the Tutsi holocaust in Rwanda.) Because she was left to tell of the story of Rwanda, her childhood set precedent to this book and in the other books she penned, as to the type of person she was, from a well-to-do family known for their 'upscale value system', and NOT from material things. I know that situation but I don't know if I could have done as well as she did hiding from machetes ready to take Tutsi people apart limb by limb. Because this genocide took place and the Western countrys were not intervening is so damaging to those of us who would have wanted to help. What was our President and Congress thinking? Though in the early 1990's, not only this was happening, but so was Eastern European States coming unglued and dividing accordingly, well located far from Rwanda, Africa. There too a tragic story was unfolding for people so unjustly. This is a 'must read' because it is historical and it took place in our lifetime. It is well explained in this book. That is why many of us readers are damn-well angered we were not informed until the aftermath. Many of us learned of this genocide from the movie HOTEL RWANDA. And I think a lot of people wondered if it were a true story of one man in just a small county in Rwanda, or was his plight just a Hollywood movie. It was real and thankfully, Immaculee Ilibagiza made it through it all, with the urgency to let the world know what happened to her country by ways of her own. It's educational, historical, spiritual, an autobiography, political, uncanny, insane, and could have ended differently if we in the West would have intervened while it happened and not just after it happened. That part is a bit embarrassing as I live in one of these Western 'all for human rights' countries. But bless her soul, she continues to educate us about Rwanda, and is making money and bringing it back home to her native country to help them with their poverty. I hope she will continue to make strides with her foundation. I highly recommend this book, along with two others that she has written, as well as any other book her pen, paper and mind bring together for us to learn about. This was a great read but not for you if you do not care for the gruesome parts of what makes a massacre of a nation...a genocide. If that bothers you, please, try to work on that aspect so that you can read it. Peace to all those Rwandan Tutsis left, after the Holocaust, as well as those Hutu's who did all they could...putting themselves at the blade of the machete for hiding the Tutsis they loved or felt sorry for. They kept a tribe in Rwanda alive and from extinction. And Blessings of Peace to you, Immaculee, for all of your writings. Your beloved family is very proud of you!

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by the author by Immaculee Ilibagiza is a book that we can all learn from. It is a heart wrenching book that recounts what her life was like during the holocaust in Rwanda. She give very graphic details about what happened but in all of it, she was able to find God and forgive. In page 210, she talks about Rwanda healing when the hearts learn how to forgive. It is hard to understand how and why she forgave all the cruelty but she finds a way to get her message across using herself as an example. The book is a great book but it is very sad and tragic. I would not recommend it to those seeking something comedic or happy. The book is very emotional and can make people cry so I would recommend it to those who are trying to find God in the dark. Immaculee doesn’t only focus on forgiveness but she also focuses on how she found God and it is a really inspiring book. It gives people more insight and faith. This can be seen toward the end of the book where we see her help others forgive and have faith. Overall, the book is a very inspiring book that can help a lot of people.

What an amazing book! Or maybe it is just an amazing story, the hideous inhumanity that prejudice can drive us to coupled by incredible forgiveness. I read the whole book in 24 hours straight - something that I haven't done in years. Immaculee is from a loving, respected Catholic family in a small town in the west of Rwanda. A family who believed your tribal background shouldn't matter in a country where history and particularly Belgian colonial rule had made it of paramount importance. It is the story of her childhood and adolescence in Rwanda before the unbelievable genocide that was encouraged by the government and allowed to run unchecked by the rest of the world. It is Immaculee's story of God's love, strength and revelation to her in situations that none of us ever want to imagine, the brutal murder of family and friends by their own friends and neighbours and yet it is not an overtly religious book. Although in a part of the world of which I have no experience it was so easy to imagine all the people as real people that you could know and that is as it is, they are or were real people.

I liked that although it’s a very sad story about surviving a genocide it is most inspiring and uplifting. A testament to really having faith and hope in God and power of positive thinking. This story leaves me wanting to be a better human being, to be more forgiving even when the atrocities are beyond my comprehension and most importantly to focus on connecting with God, my creator through prayer, faith and hope. Fantastic easy read. This is a book that everyone needs to read especially in light of the current political and international pandemic crisis.

If you are someone to grow in the faith in God , and if you can’t forgive to somebody go for it.

ルワンダというアフリカの小さな国で起こった民族虐殺の実話。 フツ族によるツチ族の民族虐殺の（数ヶ月で80万人とも100万人ともいわれる人たちが虐殺されたようです）話なのですが、内容以上にショックだったのが、事件の発生が1994年という、つい最近の出来事であったことです。当時どれほどの報道がなされたのか、国際世論はどのように反応したのか、小生の記憶の中に定かなものがありません。今しばらくは当時を探る旅をしてみたいと考えさせられました。 翻訳本もありますが、原書（といっても英語への翻訳ですが）はきわめて平易ですので、お勧めです。

This is such an important book specially since another genocide is taking place right now. Immaculee is what I would call a Saint. Due to her tragic circumstances she built this wonderful relationship with God.