I just finished reading I'm Not Leaving, by Carl Wilkens. Carl (he was a senior the year I was a freshman in college) was the only American to stay in Rwanda throughout the genocide of 1994. This book tells of his experience, of the choices he and others made, of the strange situations where the killers had moments of helping him to save those who they were out to kill. The story is riveting, excellently told. He is helped in retelling his story by the fact that he recorded cassette tapes of his stories for his wife while he lived through the horror, thinking that he might not make it out alive.
The book assumes that you have some understanding of the basic story of the Rwandan genocide. I found it helpful to come to the reading of it having watched two movies: Hotel Rwanda, and 100 Days. Both are extremely sobering, but as we've been reminded by those who have survived Hitler's genocide, if we do not tell the stories and remember, the world is more likely to repeat such atrocities.
If you'd like to get a taste of Carl telling his story--a pleasure I've had on several occasions--have a look at this video.
Carl's humanitarian work has been recognized by several awards, including the Dignitas Humana Award (2004) and the Medal of Valor from the Simon Wiesenthal Center (2005). He now travels for his nonprofit organization, World Outside My Shoes, speaking to schools and organizations in a effort to inspire and equip people to stand up against genocide, racism and intolerance.
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