Left To Tell

I have recently read a book so gripping and profound that I have to mention it here. It is the incredible true story of one young woman's miraculous survival of genocide in her country. Her name is Immaculee Ilibagiza and the book is Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, published in 2006.

As a university student studying engineering in 1994, Immaculee grew up in a close-knit family where both of her parents were highly respected people in their community. The events as they unfold, seem innocent enough at first. However, it quickly descends into a bloody genocide, and Immaculee finds herself the object of a manhunt.

What sets this book apart is that it is much more than a book about personal survival. Immaculee's faith and the unmistakable presence and power of God bring about a transformation so deep that it transcends life itself. As Judith Garten, a child of the WWII Holocaust and now counselor of The 50/50Work said, "Left to Tell is for anyone who is weary of the predictable 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' trance most of the world suffers from...Her story is an inspiration to anyone who is at odds with a brother, a nation, or themselves." Left To Tell is now easily one of my personal favorites.