Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust [Paperback]

Immaculee Ilibagiza (Author), Steve Erwin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2007

Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.

Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. 

It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers.

The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In 1994, Rwandan native Ilibagiza was 22 years old and home from college to spend Easter with her devout Catholic family, when the death of Rwanda's Hutu president sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis in the country. She survived by hiding in a Hutu pastor's tiny bathroom with seven other starving women for 91 cramped, terrifying days. This searing firsthand account of Ilibagiza's experience cuts two ways: her description of the evil that was perpetrated, including the brutal murders of her family members, is soul-numbingly devastating, yet the story of her unquenchable faith and connection to God throughout the ordeal uplifts and inspires. Her account of the miracles that protected her is simple and vivid. Her Catholic faith shines through, but the book will speak on a deep level to any person of faith. Ilibagiza's remarkable path to forgiving the perpetrators and releasing her anger is a beacon to others who have suffered injustice. She brings the battlefield between good and evil out of the genocide around her and into her own heart, mind and soul. This book is a precious addition to the literature that tries to make sense of humankind's seemingly bottomless depravity and counterbalancing hope in an all-powerful, loving God. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Immaculée Ilibagiza was born in Rwanda and studied electronic and mechanical engineering at the National University. She lost most of her family during the 1994 genocide. Four years later, she emigrated to the United States and began working at the United Nations in New York City. She is now a full-time public speaker and writer. In 2007 she established the Left to Tell Charitable Fund, which helps support Rwandan orphans.

Immaculée holds honorary doctoral degrees from The University of Notre Dame and Saint John’s University, and was awarded The Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace 2007. She is the author, with Steve Erwin, of LEFT TO TELL: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.

Product Details

• Paperback: 215 pages
• Publisher: Hay House (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401908977
• ISBN-13: 978-1401908973
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (719 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > History > Africa > Rwanda
  • #1 in Books > History > Africa > Central Africa
  • #17 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Spirituality > Inspirational

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

154 of 158 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gave me back my hope March 25, 2006

By Concy

Format:Hardcover

As a survivor of the genocide of Rwanda, this book reminded me of my own ordeal during the genocide. At first I was angry with Immaculee when I read the summary of her book, how can she forgive? Then when I started reading the book, I understood, I couldn't put it down, I couldn't stop crying, so many feelings that I thought existed only during that time, came back, I felt a lot of thirst, my mouth dry as well, my heart beating very fast...however at the end of the book I felt that something great have happened to me, a HEALING. I felt an excitment to live and to dream again, to stop living in the past, it reminded me that we are all God's children and that there's always HOPE.

Thank you Immaculee, God worked through you!

153 of 162 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Shining and Beautiful in Body and Soul" Immaculee Ilibagiza: A Grace of God March 1, 2006

By Barbara Rose VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Immaculee's crucial book "Left to Tell" is beyond an account of the perils of genocide she survived by the Grace of God in Rwanda; Immaculee herself is a Grace of God for humanity.

Her story reaches the core of my being, as it will anyone who has a heart. But it is not just her story that is simultaneously so unfathomable yet so compelling, it is the love and forgiveness she radiates to all who were the killers of her very own family.

Both she and her precious book serve as an example from On High. The Christ-like forgiveness and compassion, the mission to help orphans left alone from the genocide of their parents, and her message of becoming one with God amidst our darkest hours, is indeed a sainted mission.

I applaud Immaculee; her courage in painstakingly detailing her accounts that ultimately created this book; her mission, and the purest love she radiates that is a profoundly bright light doing nothing less than bringing the Light of God into the hearts of humanity.

Let us join her to help the orphaned children. Visit orphansofrwanda.org for ways to help. Thank you, Immaculee, for sharing how God's Love can triumph and transform. Thank you for your profound book and for being a Grace of God.

Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of If God Was Like Man, Know Yourself and If God Hears Me, I Want an Answer!

157 of 172 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book February 22, 2006

By Kat Bakhu

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Left to Tell is one of those books that I feel so grateful to the author for taking the time to write, for it offers improvement to us all. It is heart-touching, edifying, and life transforming. It tangibly teaches us, through the author's very real life trials, that there is more to life than we normally see, a divine element, and that life only becomes what it was meant to be when we bind with the spiritual in the depths of our human hearts.

In a way, Left to Tell reminded me a little bit of another fabulous book, Embraced by the Light. But in Embraced by the Light, Betty Eadie had to die to experience another reality. In Left to Tell, author Imaculee had so many thousands die around her, including her dearest family members (I write this weeping), to ultimately discover the truly beautiful Divine Reality that is always with us, if we would only call to It sincerely and passionately enough.

The story in Left to Tell is a tragic story that is still being played out today. Humanity is still plagued by groups of people who feel determined to wipe out other groups of people. The spiritual disease is the same, only the names and labels change. Read Left to Tell and you will learn that the only way to go is Love, and the only thing to offer is forgiveness. You will also learn that no matter what travesty hits you, no matter your age or situation in life, through faith in God's power, you can craft the life He intended for you. Left to Tell is indeed a beautiful book that is highly recommended. And I do thank the author for her sharing.