Running the Rift in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 13, 2012 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my_favorites

Running the Rift is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's evocative, touching, heartbreaking and enlightening. There's much to love about this book:

The characters: The main character, Jean Patrick Nbuka, is a young man with a gift - a gift for running. He comes of age in a complicated time. As a Tutsi, he is labeled and categorized by a line drawn in the sand decades before his birth. The world around him is confusing, but Jean Patrick blocks out most of it by focusing on his drea Running the Rift is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's evocative, touching, heartbreaking and enlightening. There's much to love about this book:

The characters: The main character, Jean Patrick Nbuka, is a young man with a gift - a gift for running. He comes of age in a complicated time. As a Tutsi, he is labeled and categorized by a line drawn in the sand decades before his birth. The world around him is confusing, but Jean Patrick blocks out most of it by focusing on his dream to become an Olympian. Only when the harsh realities of the world around him impact his daily life does he force himself to try to understand what is going on. As a reader, I related to this. Frankly, there were no rational explanations for what happened in Rwanda during this time. Jean Patrick's confusion was the perfect vehicle for me to see this conflict. If you've read The Power of One, Jean Patrick reminded me of Peekay. His running is what allowed him to hold onto himself while his world shattered around him.

The writing: The author of this book, Naomi Benaron, is an author with a gift - a gift for story telling. The language throughout this book is pitch perfect. The Rwandan setting and the scenes of Hutu aggression against Jean Patrick let me know there would be tragedy coming - and the writing helped build that tension. I appreciated that as Benaron told this very particular story, she let her writing tell a much broader story. Certain sentences jumped out at me as holding truth far beyond their meaning for just this story. The descriptions of African food, smells and scenery were some of the best I've ever encountered. I felt like I was there.

The story: Running the Rift tells the story of the Rwandan genocide beautifully and painfully. Like all of the best books (The Book Thief), this story reminds us that real life is about running the rift - that space where pain and beauty meet. This story is much more than the story of Jean Patrick. It's the story of all young people who have a gift and how it feels to use that gift. (If you've ever been thankful for the way your morning run makes you feel alive, read this book. Jean Patrick speaks your language.) It's the story of a life that teeters between hope and despair. It's the story of not knowing who to trust or how much to trust them.

The setting: I knew little about the Rwandan genocide before reading this book. I'd seen Hotel Rwanda and read a few Newsweek articles, but not much more. Having now seen the world through Jean Patrick's eyes, I will never again be confused about what Hutu or Tutsi mean. My one suggestion: have a map of Rwanda nearby as you read. I waited until I was finished to locate Kigali, Cyangugu and Butare on Google Maps, but it might help you envision these places more easily if you do that earlier rather than later. Perhaps future editions of this book will include a map? Because surely there will be many editions to come.

If you're in the mood for a book that is bigger than your average read (not in length, but in depth), read Running the Rift.

If your own life feels confusing, overwhelming and out of kilter, read this book to get some perspective.

If you're looking for the first great book of 2012, you'll find it in Running the Rift.

You'll never forget the story of Jean Patrick Nbuka and the people of Rwanda. ...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Lianne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: international, goodreads-giveaways, 2012, pen-bellwether-prize

I am so glad that I won this book through the Goodreads giveaway. "Tragedy" hardly covers what happened in Rwanda in the early 1990s, and Naomi Benaron was able to capture not only the horror and heartbreak of the genocide, but the daily life of young people living through the political upheaval and actual killings, and the resilience and hope of the survivors. She really captured Jean Patrick's journey from an innocent, idealistic child to a young man dealing with the realities of a horrific po ...more

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May 11, 2012 Tiffany rated it really liked it · review of another edition

beautiful story. I fell in love with the characters.

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Jan 04, 2012 Audacia Ray rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, library-reads, read-in-2012

Overall an interesting and enjoyable (make not quite the right word, since it's about genocide and everything) read, but (Spoiler-ish!) I was really dissatisfied with the hollywood style ending. Maybe my sensibilities are just too dark, but the concluding chapters were really bizarre to me.
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