Led by faith Rising from the ashes of the Rwandan genocide

In Left to Tell, survivor and activist Ilibagiza documented her experience in the three-month 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed more than a million. Here she describes the twin struggles--personal and national--to pick up the pieces and move on. The shameful refusal of the international community to restrain the rampage is well known, but readers will be less familiar with the role of the Zaire government and international relief forces, which allowed armed Hutu killers to retreat to a safe haven and launch attacks on Rwanda for two more years; in 1996, the new Rwandan government finally invaded Zaire to stop the Hutu army. Ilibagiza writes personally and vividly about how her deep religious faith sustained her in the years following the massacre. Though most of her family were murdered, and threats to her life would eventually force her to flee for the U.S. (with husband and while pregnant), Ilibagiza's belief in reconciliation never falters: "we will never heal as individuals, or as a nation, until we can forgive each other and start forgiving ourselves." Whether or not readers share her faith, this hard-to-put-down memoir is an inspiring tale of courage and humanity under the most calamitous of circumstances. Color photos. (Sept.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.