Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
BOOK REVIEW: Ilibagiza, Immaculee. Left To Tell. (CA: Hay House, 2006).
“Immaculee was born into a loving family. Her parents, Leonard and
Rose, gifted her with a name meaning 'shining and
beautiful in body and soul'. Her name would prove to be true as she grew through childhood
and into adulthood. Immaculee was one of four siblings and the only daughter in
the family. In Rwandan culture, being a good girl—clean, well mannered and
virtuous—was important to maintain personal status and family reputation. The
expectations of society were mirrored in her home, although her parents also
expected her to study and expand her horizons. Her parents were both trained as
educators. In addition to being educators, her family subsidized their income
by farming. They grew and harvested beans, coffee and bananas on their property
near Lake Kivu. While Immaculee's family was..... (http://www.shvoong.com/books/biography/1824152-left-tell/)
Immaculee is a remarkable woman, she writes and speaks of her horrific ordeal during her 91 days in a bathroom, hiding from killers with machetes during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. During this time she prayed, and came to trust in every word, every breath she took to say the words of the ‘Our Father” prayer. She came to realize that this prayer was not given to use by a good person or good writer, but it is a prayer from God Himself. Her trust and faith in the words of the Our Father, gave her the courage and hope she needed to survive circumstances of evil and darkness, seemingly devoid of hope and emerge 'shining and beautiful in body and soul.'
beautiful in body and soul'. Her name would prove to be true as she grew through childhood
and into adulthood. Immaculee was one of four siblings and the only daughter in
the family. In Rwandan culture, being a good girl—clean, well mannered and
virtuous—was important to maintain personal status and family reputation. The
expectations of society were mirrored in her home, although her parents also
expected her to study and expand her horizons. Her parents were both trained as
educators. In addition to being educators, her family subsidized their income
by farming. They grew and harvested beans, coffee and bananas on their property
near Lake Kivu. While Immaculee's family was..... (http://www.shvoong.com/books/biography/1824152-left-tell/)Immaculee is a remarkable woman, she writes and speaks of her horrific ordeal during her 91 days in a bathroom, hiding from killers with machetes during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. During this time she prayed, and came to trust in every word, every breath she took to say the words of the ‘Our Father” prayer. She came to realize that this prayer was not given to use by a good person or good writer, but it is a prayer from God Himself. Her trust and faith in the words of the Our Father, gave her the courage and hope she needed to survive circumstances of evil and darkness, seemingly devoid of hope and emerge 'shining and beautiful in body and soul.'
Reading her
powerful story profoundly changed me, somehow hoping to have my heart opened
through grace too. But personally hearing Immaculee was even more remarkable. She radiates a regal
beauty, the kind of beauty born from a transformation of the heart. I also
realized that, gratefully, few of us will ever be ‘left to tell” a story of
such violence and loss, but all of us have a story to tell of how God is working
in our lives. Yet we must listen to Him and trust in the power of love.
I highly
recommend this book—one of my all time favorites.
Posted by Debra Classen at 11/9/2009 11:43 PM 
Categories: Book Review,Book Recommendations
Tags: Immaculee Ilibagiza 1994 Rwandan genocide
Categories: Book Review,Book Recommendations
Tags: Immaculee Ilibagiza 1994 Rwandan genocide
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