"Hutus kill Tutsis, then Tutsis kill Hutus--if that's really all there is to it, then no wonder we can't be bothered with it," Philip Gourevitch writes, imagining the response of somebody in a country far from the ethnic strife and mass killings of Rwanda. But the situation is not so simple, and in this complex and wrenching book, he explains why the Rwandan genocide should not be written off as just another tribal dispute.

Startling

We Wish to Inform You is a landmark piece of non-fiction. The writing is excellent and engaging. The situation covered - the Rwandan slaughter of Tutsis by the ruling Hutus - is frightening in that it truly shows the worst in humanity. The descriptions are vivid and alive.

However, I do have a couple of issues with the book. The first is that Gouravitch definitely has a bias in relating this story. It leaves one with a feeling of only hearing half the story. Although this is possibly inevitable, a more balanced presentation would have helped me better understand the rationale for genocide, if one can possibly be found.

Secondly, I got lost in all the acronyms and the names. An appendix with a list of the acronyms would have been very helpful in following the events described. So too would a list of the main contacts that Gouravitch uses in his book. Many of the names are very long and unfriendly to English-speaking ears. Again, the book would have been easier to read and even more powerful with these listings in an appendix.

But overall, the book is extremely enlightening and deeply troubling. If you read this review before reading the book, begin an appendix of your own as you read. Your work will be well rewarded.

Cheese Sandwich

You must read this book! Then lend it to everyone you know!

Gourevitch's book made me understand what it was like living in in Rwanda in March 1994, Before the genocide (Cheese Sandwich)

Just get this book!

A true story

In this well researched and beautifully written book about the genocide in Rwanda, Philip Gourevitch did a brilliant job not only in telling us about the genocide, but also in making us understand the intricate history of the land that made the genocide possible and the aftermath of the genocide. The book moved me from the opening to the last pages. What I particularly liked about this work by Gourevitch is the fact that it is easy for a non-African or non-Rwandan mind that has no knowledge of Rwanda to understand the story. The analysis was perfect and the criticism deserving.

There appears to be a pattern of international detachment in all the contemporary genocides our world witnessed. DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, EYE-WITNESS TO GENOCIDE, POL PLOT CONFIRM THOSE PATTERNS. It is appalling to learn that the Rwandan genocide happened in the presence of French soldiers, news agencies and international humanitarian groups. It is even more disheartening to learn that the UN was aware of what was going on and the big powers did nothing to stop it.