A Long Way From Paradise: Surviving the Rwandan Genocide

by Leah Chishugi

Leah Chishugi grew up in eastern Congo but, aged seventeen, she moved to Kigali, the Rwandan capital, to work as a model. She married and had a son. Then in 1994 she was caught up in the horrific conflict, and escaped only after being left for dead under a pile of corpses. She fled with her son to Uganda, then South Africa where she was miraculously reunited with her husband whom she believed dead. Leah finally settled in the UK where she was granted asylum and became a nurse. After her mother died, Leah decided to set up a charity to help the women and children of eastern Congo - victims of continuing war atrocities. A LONG WAY FROM PARADISE is a deeply courageous narrative of one woman's survival of personal trauma and finding a greater purpose in life through devotion to the service of others.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Africa, Memoir, History

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 4, 2010

Reviews

[Anthony Archbold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very balanced and well written account of one woman's horrific, life changing experiences, during the Rwandan genocide. Life definitely has a way of pushing the boundaries of the human experience, whether through misadventure or in this case as a result of a political and cultural atrocity. A highly recommended and inspiring read, that's not for the faint hearted; it succinctly journals the incredible tenacity and selflessness of the author against unimaginable odds. In the face of always having the option of taking the easier path, it's the readers of this very personal account that stand to benefit from the lessons learnt through the author's adversity.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chishugi przeżyła genocyd w Ruandzie. Gdy rozpoczęła się rzeź miała siedemnaście lat i malutkie dziecko, dotychczas wiodła dostanie, bogate życie, otoczona rodziną. Jej rodzice mieli plantacje kawy, domy w Ruandzie i ówczesnym wschodnim Zairze, do opieki nad dziesiątką dzieci służbę i pomoc. Mama Leah miała czas dla każdego dziecka, pracy w rodzinnym biznesie (niedokładnie wiadomo jakim i na czym praca polegała) oraz do szeroko zakrojonej pomocy biednym. Jednym słowem ucieleśnienie anioła. Autorka zresztą opisuje swoje życie w takich superlatywach, że staje się ono niewiarygodne, jak cała jej historia zresztą.

Nie chcę tu twierdzić, że nie wierzę w to, co przeszła. Raczej jej sposób przekazania tych przeżyć wywołuje takie wrażenie. Chishugi opisuje krok po kroku rozpoczęcie zamieszek i rzezi na ulicach Kigali, swoją wielogodzinną ucieczkę ze stolicy, wielodniowe przedzieranie się przez kraj w kierunku granicy, potworne zbrodnie, jakich była świadkiem. Podczas tej drogi towarzyszyła jej daleka kuzynka i opiekunka jej synka oraz półroczny Jean-Luc. Gdy kobiety docierają do granicy z Ugandą ich droga się nie kończy, przemierzają wiele krajów, przekraczają nielegalnie granice, w końcu rozdzielają się i Leah z synkiem sama dociera do RPA. Na swojej drodze spotykają mnóstwo dobrych ludzi, którzy bezinteresownie im pomagają, opłacają hotel, odzież, jedzenie, dają pieniądze.

Mimo że autorka opisuje niewyobrażalne cierpienia, straszne sceny, ludobójstwo, traumę i jej skutki, to jej książka zupełnie nie porusza. Naszpikowana superlatywami proza jest sztuczna, niewiarygodna. Brak jakiegokolwiek umieszczenia w czasie denerwuje - kobiety przemieszczają się w jakichś abstrakcyjnych ramach czasowych, nie wiadomo ile kilometrów pokonują, nie wiadomo na jak długo zatrzymują się w każdym miejscu.

Ciąg dalszy: https://przeczytalamksiazke.blogspot....

[Annika Bourgogne · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the fictional "Baking cakes in Kigali," I wanted to read a real account of what happened in Rwanda 20 years ago. I had a pretty good idea, and still this book disturbed me to the point of losing sleep - and the UN just watched it happen without interfering?!!

[Heta · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1994, an unimaginable horror began to ensue in Rwanda. For 100 days, people of the Hutu tribe murdered as many as 800 000 Tutsi people in a genocide. This book is the story of how one woman, Leah Chishugi, survived.

Leah Chishugi is an incredible woman. She has managed to continue her life and is doing good things for the world, despite going through things nobody should ever have to go through. She is extremely brave and tells her heartbreaking story with so much emotion. I could not help but cry, thinking about not only her but of countless other people whose lives have been altered, destroyed by such inhumane acts. It is a book I recommend everyone reads, about a tragedy I recommend everyone learns about. "Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

[Ronkeli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tärkeä kirja vaikeasta aiheesta. Kaduilla marssivat ääriliikkeet ja väkivaltaan taipuvaiset tavalliset ihmiset eivät tunnu Euroopassakaan taas kovin kaukaisilta asioilta. Ikävä kyllä en tullut juttuun kirjoittajan tyylin kanssa eikä suomentajakaan tässä pääse loistamaan. Kannatti silti lukea: tiedän taas enemmän Afrikasta.

[Alysha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book affected me a lot...to the point where I know what I want to do in life. I'd heard about Hutus and Tutsis before in an anthropology course but this book was my first proper introduction to the Rwandan genocide. It was heart-breaking, uplifting, made me lose faith in humanity but also re-gain it. I still cannot believe that people were brainwashed to kill their fellow citizens just due to the shape of their nose...in the mid-90s! And I find it harder to believe still that atrocities continue to occur in Eastern Congo with rape and murder being part of daily life in the villages. These people deserve better lives; these people deserve help; these people deserve the world to look and act. Thanks Leah, for sharing your incredible story.

[Magdaléna Daňková · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking power of the author of this book is more than admirable. She was only 17 when the Rwanda´s genocide burst out. She escaped from Rwanda to the South Africa with her son and cousin where , after 3 years, finally met her husband again. They moved to London and few months after, thanks to the Red Cross, she went back to Africa to meet her founded mother. The book ends with stories about African women who are tortured by groups of rebels on the east side of Democratic Congo.
It is and it is not a fairy tale. It is a strong story about strong woman who didn´t give up life and didn´t turned back from her origin even though she went through the hell.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a roller coaster from start to finish. It is the only book I've read on the horror of the Rwandan genocide. That anybody could survive this is a miracle. Leah Chishugi's story is inspirational.

[Bersabeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story. Your strength, your will and the perseverance through all that you have passed has truly inspired me. The kind of things you had to go through as a human being is simply unbearable, you are a heroine. I know I can’t say anything you haven’t heard all ready but please know that you have touched my life so beautifully. I have learned a lot from what you have written and through your life. Thank you for having the courage and the will to document this and shade light to the world. I am so grateful that you made it through all that chaos and still got the chance to see your son grow. You are my hero. Thank you.
I had a chance to visit Rwanda before I read your book, it has transformed into becoming this beautiful beautiful place after the disaster, I am so proud of your people. I have got the honor to visit the genocide memorial while I was there, I am speechless as to how I can express what I felt and what I still do, it’s simply life changing experience. Your book has brought all that I heard and saw into reality therefore I got to live with you through out your journey. I was scared with you, I smiled for the goodness you experienced from kind hearts and wept for all the heartache you and Rwanda went through. I simply can’t understand how a brother can do this to his own brother. I am from Ethiopia and I was joyed that you got to visit my country with your mother and wrote about it. Thank you for writing this book, it has touched my inner soul.

[Heidi_2811 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mielestäni hyvin kirjoitettu ja lukeminen kävi sujuvasti. Kauhea tapaus, en vaan voi ymmärtää miten jotain tällaista voi tapahtua! Ja miten YK:n rauhanturvaajat vaan ei muka voineet tehdä asialle mitään?? Miten voidaan murhata tai syrjiä ihmisiä vaan nenän muodon, ihonvärin tai muiden piirteiden takia? Kirja kertoo siis Leah Chishugin tarinan paosta Ruandan kansanmurhan keskeltä pienen poikansa kanssa, tietämättä ovatko muut hänen perheenjäsenensä enää hengissä, vaiko ra'asti murhattu. Monesti Leah kokee, että ei pysty enää laskemaan luottamusta kenenkään toisen ihmisen varaan, varsinkin jos nämä ovat Ruandan hutu-kansaa, jotka murhasivat tutseja, joihin Leah myös kuuluu. Moneen otteeseen kuitenkin ihmiset näyttävät kuinka hyviä ja anteliaita voivat myös olla, vastapainoksi sille julmuudelle mitä Leah näki ja koki. Kenenkään ei pitäisi kokea tällaista, ja silti niin ajankohtainen, ajatellen mitä Gazassa tapahtuu, ja Ukrainan sota myöskin. Näitä juttuja kun lukee, niin kokee itsensä niin pieneksi ja mitättömäksi, ja on tunne että ei näihin pysty vaikuttamaan mitenkään.

[Paul Ransom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leah Chishugi’s survival story is remarkable but what impresses most about this book is that she refrains from casting herself as the hero. She is likewise honest about the relative comfort in which she was raised and the privileges she continues to enjoy. In addition, she invites us into an Africa seen through African eyes and, aside from the horror and deprivation that Westerners typically associate with the continent, she shows us a ground level view full of colour and improvised bustle. But of course, ‘A Long Way From Paradise’ does not flinch from the collective insanity of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, which she portrays with a visceral, nightmarish intensity. The mere fact that ‘Bebe Leah’ lived to tell this story is almost beyond belief. If nothing else, it’s a reality check for those of us who only get to read about these things.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading books like this just makes me want to try even harder in my Peace Studies course so that war and genocide stop happening. There was so much horror (and some hope in people’s kind actions) in Leah’s journey out of Rwanda and I seriously don’t know how she could get through this and go on in life at such a young age. A very powerful, eye-opening and educational book that makes me want to get out there and help those still being affected by such violence.

[Tsholofelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the saddest book I've read. An enlightening, worthy read about the tragedy that was the Rwandan genocide; the moment-to-moment, unimaginable traumas underwent by those who experienced it first hand from a survivor's perspective; and its lingering effects on survivors, perpetrators and "witnesses" (if that, even) alike.

[Cheryl Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written with great passion. And determination. Although perhaps, not well written.

It’s a horrifying story of escape, a heartwarming story of love and a testament to the ability to survive and to heal.

[Sarah loves books 😻😻😻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The epilogue was the best - must read! What a powerful line to finish on!

Important for the reader to practice self-care though while reading, the content is traumatic!

[Andreia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me lose faith in humanity and then regain it. A book full of emotions that makes you rethink what really is important in life.

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leah Chishugi on vasta 17-vuotias, hiljattain esikoisensa saanut, hyväosaisesta perheestä lähtöisin oleva varhaiskypsä mutta tiiviin tukiverkon ympäröimä ruandalaistyttö, joka harrastaa vapaa-aikanaan tennistä ja tekee viikonloppuisin mallintöitä. Kuudes huhtikuuta vuonna 1994 Ruandan kansanmurhan keskeisin toimija ja hutujen äärijärjestö Interahamwe aloittaa tutsien silmittömän teurastamisen. Yli 800 000 tutsia ja maltillista hutua saa hirvittävillä tavoilla surmansa, mutta Chishugi pelastautuu kuin ihmeen kaupalla pahimmalta kohtalolta, joskin niukasti. Kirjassa hän kertoo tarinansa ja muun muassa myös suorat mielipiteensä YK:n ja katolisen kirkon toiminnasta kriisin keskellä. Chishugi muistelee täydellistä olosuhteidensa muutosta, niin fyysisesti (mutkainen pakomatka jatkuu halki koko kaakkoisen Afrikan) kuin psyykkisesti:



"Minusta tuntui, että olin häiriöksi toisten ihmisten elämässä, olin joku jota ei ollut kutsuttu ja josta ei useinkaan pidetty. Monet ihmiset haluavat pakolaisten häipyvän ja lakkaavan häiritsemästä eivätkä ymmärrä, miksi emme voi palata sinne mistä lähdimmekin."



Silti toivoa on. On ihmisiä, jotka pyyteettömästi auttavat kärsineitä ja kaiken menettäneitä heidän taustaansa katsomatta. Chishugi itse ymmärtää nyt paremmin kuin koskaan hädänalaisten ja alistettujen kärsimyksen ja osallistuu auttamistyöhön itäisen Kongon sisällissodan repimillä seuduilla.

[Marit · Rating 2 out of 5]

An incredible survival story told by a vivid narrator. Chishugi relays a mostly unvarnished description of the genocide itself and its continual toll on her and other Rwandans, psychologically and physically. Her determination to survive morphs into a drive to better the world and stem suffering, in herself and in the lives of many, many strangers.
Chishugi may have a story to tell but her style and prose is weak and uninspiring. She is definitely not a writer but her sincerity, passion, and the power of her story make this worth reading anyhow to get a taste of what the Rwandan genocide meant on a purely personal level. Chishugi's viewpoint is a narrow one though, a beautiful woman coming from a very privileged background. Her education, beauty and breeding definitely get her through some terrifying situations that would likely have ended in death for other less (previously) fortunate. That caveat is not a dismissal but only an acknowledgment that the particulars of her story are likely not generalizable. However, her message and her emotional/psychological journey likely are shared by many other traumatized Rwandans.

[Konserve Ruhlar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kongo’nun doğusunda varlıklı ve kültürlü bir ailenin çocuğu olarak yaşayan Leah, mutlu ve huzurlu bir çocukluk dönemimin ardından ailesinin işi nedeniyle doğduğu ülke Ruanda’ya taşınır. Genç yaşta henüz okulunu bitirmeden çocukluk aşkı Christian ile evlenir. O dönemde hem bebek sahibi olur hem de okuluna devam eder. Bir gün küçük bebeği Jean Luc ile beraber havalimanının yakınındaki bir kafede arkadaşlarıyla ile otururken başkanın uçağının patlatıldığına şahit olur ve her şey bir anda olup biter...
devamı:
http://konserveruhlar.wordpress.com/2...

[Emily Tissot · Rating 2 out of 5]

The personal story of this woman is pretty incredible. The writing itself is poor and it does not at all touch on ethic issues within Rwanda and the DRC or the inter-relations between countries. This fine if you want one persons account, but not at all a picture of the politics behind the genocide.

[BondJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book detailing a disgusting time in human history. I applaud Leah for being able to tell her story and to be so eloquent doing so. She writes thoughtfully of the beauty, and then horror, of a country she so obviously loves. It's a difficult and emotional story but one worth reading.

[Leone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique read about a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. Not as graphic as some and the young girl travels widely as a refugee in order to try and escape the horror. It is a personal story without any of the politics, as experienced by the author.

[Subtle Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a falling dried leaf with tears dried out and sadness soaked in.

Happy Reading Lovelies...

[Romany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible and sad and very important to read.