An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography is the account of Paul Rusesabagina, the man the film Hotel Rwanda is based on. In this account, Paul looks back on his life, from his simple childhood in a tiny rural village with his popular father, to his time studying to be a pastor, to his working in the hotel industry. After that, of course, he gives his version of what happened to him while working at the Hôtel Diplomate and Milles Collines during the Rwandan Civil War and Genocide, and his life in the aftermath. Paul gives us his story and a justification for his actions.It's not all about Paul though. Along the way Paul gives his intelligently-formed opinion on the root causes of Rwandan Genocide -- such as a culture of reprisals and a cycle of violence and jealousy, the Belgians, corrupt and power-hungry elite, a lack of law and justice, propaganda, herd mentality, the power of the group and influence on youth, and so forth. He also takes the time to heavily criticize the United Nations, who undoubtedly failed Rwanda, and European nations (such as France, who supported the Hutu army ostensibly to save the French language and have a French-leaning ally in the region), and the United States (who were scared of another Somalia/Blackhawk Down and didn't see any oil in Rwanda) -- all of whom largely turned their backs on the genocide. When the genocide is finished, he gives his opinion on the new Tutsi government, and shows that all was still not well in Rwanda, and that all this could happen again. He is understandably harsh at times, but he is generally even-handed and modest and also manages to address criticisms directed against him in terms of his liaisons with a number of the killers.The Rwandan Genocide was one of the most messed up things that ever happened. More than 800 000 people died, and many of those people were butchered by others with machetes: their limbs were hacked off, they were cut and mutilated and made to watch their loved ones die as they slowly bled out and died in the dirt. In many cases farm animals were killed more humanely. Partially-dismembered Bodies were piled in the streets for miles around population centres, rotting in the sun. As Paul and others have said, neighbours said hello one day, and chopped each other to pieces the next (though of course, as Paul explains, it took years and years and many factors to reach this point). Priests and Ministers betrayed their flocks or were killed by them, churches were no safe haven, women, children and babies were raped and murdered with impunity -- and all in a kind of insane, carnival atmosphere of misplaced nationalism, racial pride and hatred. It was unimaginably horrific. Paul does a good job at taking a lot of the mystery away as to how this could have happened, and his story mostly takes place inside buildings looking out on the world where others are slaughtered, but he is also able to convey the fear and the horror of it all.A key theme in Paul's account is the power of words. He repeatedly stresses his people skills and ability to manipulate others using words and gestures, and tactics such as flattery and bluffing to get what he wants. Paul honed these skills in the hotel industry, and then employed them to great effect to save his life and the lives of his charges during the genocide, by calling various big-wigs he had made contacts with through the hotel over the years and calling in favours, and by debating, cajoling and kissing as much ass as he had to. Somehow, his words worked, and saved the hotel. It seems incredible, and although it's certainly possible based on Paul's account and the disordered chaos that seems to have reigned in Kigali at the time, I feel that he never quite captures all the reasons the hotel was spared, and perhaps some things went unsaid. This book is SUBSTANTIALLY different than the movie, and is overall a far more valuable and informative resource for anyone wondering just what the hell happened in Rwanda and why. It is also the record of a man who, while he may not be as modest as he claims to be, is and was a pretty down to earth guy who worked hard and did the job he had to do, while also doing all he could to save first his family, then his loved ones, and then anyone who could make it to, or be brought to his hotel alive. He is surely a hero of the 20th century.True Rating:4.6 StarsScribbly Chapter Notes (Spoilers):- pg 2: Paul expressed love for his mom by doing chores for her- Rwanda is a very hilly country- 'Cabarets' are corner store/bars made out of simple materials where locals drink banana beer (the main drink of Rwanda) together- pg 8: Drinking banana beer is a traditional way to bond and to keep communities together. After a dispute, the parties involved drink banana beer together- pg 9: Rwanda had an amazing community justice system involving village elders judging, the truth being held incredibly important, and reconciliation over banana beer- pgs 18-19: A great explanation of the differences between Hutu and Tutsi eg. The Tutsi were those with cattle, while Hutus were those who farmed crops- Hutu/Tutsi slaughter went back as far as 1959, the Hutu Revolution (the Hutu overthrew the Tutsi rulers after the Belgians left). In 1973 neighbouring Burundi (with a Tutsi government) killed around 200 000 Hutu during a Hutu uprising. The terrible cycle of violence.- The stupid Belgians enshrined the Tutsi as superior and created segregation- pg 29: comparatively-wealthy foreign aid workers stay in luxury hotels which cost the same as a year's wages for the average African per night- "Nyanza" is a place in Rwanda, Kenya, and Cape Breton Nova Scotia- pg 52: The Hutu power-base-sponsored radio station RTLM helped fuel the genocide. It was financed by the government, a prominent Hutu businessman, and founded by a university professor -- along with the religious bigwigs, the Rwandan Genocide had collusion at all levels and strata of education and power- pg 53: Important section on genocide origins- pg 58: President Habyarimana was buddy-buddy with François Mitterand and France- France was more directly involved in Africa than other European countries, and Paul accuses them of fighting to preserve the French language and aiding the Hutu genocidal forces with weapons and other support- pg 64: The genocide and revolutionary talk was also to preserve the power of Habyarimana and the Hutu elite (Akazu, led in part by Habyarimana's wife, Agathe) who controlled him- An increasing extreme and violent message of violence towards Tutsis was planted and grown over many years to lead to the genocide- At the same time, Rwanda and the Hutu power base were actually surrounded by the Tutsi Rebel Army, the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front), led by Paul Kagame (future leader of Rwanda). The Hutu elite were threatened and the threat of Tutsi spies and sabotage was real.- pg 67: The Interahamwe Militia were largely comprised of youth/teens from Hutu refugee camps: camps of people fleeing the Tutsi army advance, who had been pushed out of their homes, threatened and confined to camps due to the evil Tutsis. It was not so hard to convince impressionable teens from these camps that they needed to do 'their work.'- Pgs 74-75: The UN (Roméo Dallaire) were warned of the coming storm by a defecting Hutu bigwig in the winter of 1994 -- but Kofi Annan and the UN/US decided to do nothing!- pg 80: President Habyarimana AND the president of Burundi AND the head of the Rwandan army were shot down in Habyarimana's plane (a gift from Mitterand) -- not just Habyarimana- Agathe Uwilingiyimana, moderate Prime Minister of Rwanda, was murdered outside her home in front of UN troops. She was shot in the face by a police officer, and then the 10 Belgian UN troops assigned to protect her were mutilated, tortured and killed in an attempt to scare the UN and get revenge on Belgium- pg 89: Words save the day. Paul is a strong believer in the power of words.- pg 93: Tutsi rebels still controlled the parliament building during the genocide, and were exchanging fire with Hutus (love to know more about this)- pg 104: Paul respects Roméo Dallaire, but he is very angry at the UN- pg 121: Sleeping with the enemy- pg 122: Interesting opinion: Paul believes, like Taoism, in intuition/feelings over reason/rationalizing- pg 128: Georges Rutaganda: a long-time friend of Paul, a major businessman, AND a high up in the Interahamwe- pg 134: A good description of the severity of the horror and violence- pgs 136-138: A damning critique of United States' inaction- pg 153: Hutu gov. was in bed with France and afraid to damage the relationship: one of the things that saved Paul's hotel Milles Collines- The RPF threw refugees in camps and looted the hotel post-genocide- Paul really wanted to get the f#ck out of Rwanda post-genocide, he had enough- pg 176: The new Tutsi government got rid of ID cards (Hutu vs Tutsi) which was good, and many ex-patriot Rwandans returned to the country and occupied the land and possessions of the dead...- pg 179: Paul is almost assassinated! And moves his family to Belgium.- pg 192: A blurb on why the genocide happened again, in summation- pg 193: Herd mentality and the banality of evil- pg 194: Group Belonging and the power of the group/family- pg 198: Paul criticizes a Rwandan culture of criminal impunity, of mistakes and a terrible national justice system, of a new boss -- Paul Kagame -- who seems like just another corrupt African 'Big Man,' of Rwandans' failure to talk to each other...- Paul finishes by putting his faith in civilization and the normal state of humans as decent -- not evil
The book's title is a wry understatement: it is an autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager whose courage, resourcefulness, shrewd tact and personal presence saved more than 1000 lives when a spasm of genocide swept Rwanda in 1994. It is the story of his entire life, from village childhood in the "country of a thousand hills" in central Africa, to reluctant exile after the genocide. If you have seen the film "Hotel Rwanda," you already know about him. But where a movie, even a powerfully moving one, gives at most momentary glimpses, this small book paints a much more comprehensive picture. By all means, read it. Slowly. If you have not seen the film, read the book first, then go watch it. The film itself packs an enormous emotional punch, but with the book you suddenly understand it much better. Indeed, this ought to be required reading in high schools and universities anywhere, teaching a lesson any young citizen needs to absorb when facing the 21st century. A lesson about genocide, about a willful attempt by one social group to exterminate another, and if the one of Rwanda may not have been the largest one, the authors here show (and Tom Zoellner shares full credit) that it stood out from the rest in ferocity, intensity and cruelty. The forces which led to genocide built up over many years. Rwanda and its sister-state Burundi are two small states on the spine of Africa, enormously fertile and densely populated by two ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. That division, Rusesabagina makes clear, was the root of the evil which followed. In the middle 1800s, the writings of explorer John Hanning Speke presented it as a fact of life, and the rest of the world accepted it without question--tall, elite Tutsis who had arrived from the east and tended animals, and squat Hutu peasant farmers from west Africa, a lower class in society. Maybe at one time such a division existed, but intermarriage and a common language and culture (many had become Christian) gradually blurred it. There was nothing unusual in Rusesabagina, a Hutu, taking a Tutsi wife. What sustained and strengthened the division were the Belgian colonial rulers, whose identity cards demanded the bearer to be ethnically defined as Hutu or Tutsi. Dividing the country helped their rule, but it also sowed new seeds of hatred. After WW-II, when Belgium and other colonial powers left Africa, corrupt politics soon brought a general deterioration. The Hutu majority group ruled the country, and in the early 90s it launched by radio a vicious campaign of hate propaganda. A militant organization formed and weapons were hoarded, preparing to "ethnically clean" the country of its "cockroaches." Tutsis exiled to neighboring countries meanwhile established their own military force. The storm broke in April 1994, with the murder by missile of the presidents of both Rwanda and Burundi (no one ever found who did it). What followed is hard to describe in just a few sentences. In all, about 800,000 people died within 100 days, more than a tenth of the population. Most were Tutsis, but Hutus trying to stem the hate died too. Ordinary citizens, seemingly peaceful and friendly, suddenly ganged up on their neighbors, hacking them apart with machetes, then looting their homes. At roadblocks, passengers were taken off cars and those with Tutsi identity cards were hacked to pieces, their bodies rotting by the wayside or floating down a river. The spasm of violence might have been nipped in the bud--but the UN stood aside and ordered its troops not to intervene, while France, hoping to gain political influence, actually helped arm the Hutus, and protected them after they were beaten. All this is described in a measured, matter-of-fact language by Rusesabagina, in the tone of a citizen used to peace and order, yet forced by circumstances to face raw evil. And yet those sober, controlled words convey their message more forcefully than any outraged adjectives could do. Here is the manager of the most prestigious hotel of the capital, skilled in catering to the needs of important visitors and pleasing diverse guests in an orderly and non-obtrusive fashion--and suddenly he is in a battle zone, his hotel turned into an unarmed city of refuge. Lesser men may have tried to flee, less resourceful ones may have died--indeed, he himself was reconciled to the thought of never getting out alive. Yet he survived, as did every person in his hotel. Luck helped, of course, again and again. But it would not have happened without the author's strong moral character, and the book also tells (what the movie does not) how that character was molded by a strict but kind family, especially by a mentoring and encouraging father. Luck alone would not have sufficed without the author's fine-tuned psychological insight. People who may seem purely evil, he tells us, often have hard and soft sides to their personality--for instance, that police chief siding with the murderers may not be completely at peace with what he is doing. Avoid judgment, find his soft side, and gently encourage it. Talk to the enemy holding a gun on you--if he converses with you, he is less likely to shoot. Bring out a bottle of good wine, share it with the general leading the gangs, and talk to him over drinks. It may help. The film ends when all the hotel's occupants escape to the Tutsi rebels, but the book goes on, and the story is not all sunny. The Tutsi forces too were harsh, and did not always distinguish friend from foe. After they capture the capital city Kigali, many of the country's Hutus, guilty and innocent alike, flee in panic across the border. Rusesabagina's nightmare seems over: new identity papers omit any ethnic identification, and once again he manages a high class hotel. But devastation remains. Of the family of his brother-in-law, only two little girls survive, whom he raises with his own children. Laconically he comments "I have lost four of my eight siblings. ... For a Rwandan family, this is a comparatively lucky outcome." And the dangers remain, too: enemies are still loose, often unidentified. His life is threatened and he ends up accepting asylum in Belgium and driving a cab in Brussels. Hard work brings prosperity--another cab and more, then a trucking company in Zambia, and then quite by chance, his story is discovered and made into a film. After a delay of years, Paul is acclaimed for his heroic deeds and even invited to the White House. But he still cannot return home. True peace continues to elude Rwanda, whose new government again seems to enter a path of cronyism and corruption, evils which preceded the genocide. It is a small country with limited area and resources, far from stable Europe and from an indifferent US. Can the past horrors happen again? The authors fear that they can, and give convincing reasons. There is much to be learned from this honest tale, and Rosesabagina and Zoellner express it quite well. They have no solution, no one does, but if one is reached some day, this slim book has been an important contribution towards it. Read it!
What do You think about An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography (2007)?
Paul Rusesabagina may be an ordinary man but he tells an extraordinary story. During the Rwandan genocide, he protected 1,268 people in the luxury hotel he was managing. His assets: a swimming pool full of water; a large supply of alcoholic beverages; a long list of important connections (many of whom owed him personal favors); a secret telephone line that was never cut; training in (and I'm sure a personal talent for) the art of negotiation. The swimming pool was for water rations. The rest was for convincing influential people not to kill the refugees in the hotel.Rusesabagina (with his co-author Tom Zoellner) uses a direct, personal style. He is not shy about placing blame on the international community. The UN was warned about government preparations for mass murders, yet refused to act. The US, still smarting from losses in Somalia, was reluctant to get involved. France chose to support the Francophone government as opposed to its opposition, which had sought shelter in English-speaking Uganda. Rusesabagina even names names: UN peace-keeping chief Kofi Annan; US President Bill Clinton; French President Francois Mitterand. He tells how the Rwandan government planned the killings and recruited the militias. He gives first- and second-hand accounts of the atrocities. Most of all, he explains how he cared for his hotel "guests" while negotiating with army and government officials. He discusses the dynamics of genocide, genocide prevention, and the need for retributive justice. He expresses compelling opinions and outlines attractive strategies. And it's hard to disagree with his last sentence: "Wherever the killing season should next begin and people should become strangers to their neighbors and themselves, my hope is that there will still be those ordinary men who say a quiet no and open the rooms upstairs."
—Jocelyn
This book gets a 5 because Paul Rusesabagina was amazing! It is hard to comprehend how genocide can happen. He was able to explain the history and interactions of his country and the people. Basically good people. He was able to accomplish amazing things in saving those he sheltered in "Hotel Rwanda". It is embarrassing to realize how little the US did and the United Nations to stop it and help. It has happened in countries more than once, the largest and most prolonged being in Germany. It is frightening to see how easily people can be changed from decent citizens to murderers of their neighbors. The courageous stories of people who do not succumb to the madness and try to make a difference are the inspiring examples of heroic acts that are the shining examples of what we can and should be.
—Cnelsonquilt
This book is a very well-written account of Rusesabagina's experience as a hotel manager during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. He also explores the historical and sociological context for the events. It blew my mind. It's almost unbelievable to me that so many people could be led to do so many horrible deeds; and yet this book explores how this happened in such a way that it's a bit more within my comprehension how such things happen. I think this is a very important thing to be aware of, given that it's likely that many more similar events will happen in various parts of the world, within our lifetimes. Another thing that this book explains is that the international community ignored this genocide and allowed it to go on for so long. I hope, with greater consciousness of this, we can work towards developing an international community that will be intolerant of such crimes against humanity.
—Chenoa Siegenthaler
