A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It

by Stephen Kinzer

Overview

A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It is the story of Paul Kagame, a refugee who, after a generation of exile, found his way home. Learn about President Kagame, who strives to make Rwanda the first middle-income country in Africa, in a single generation. In this adventurous tale, learn about Kagame’s early fascination with Che Guevara and James Bond, his years as an intelligence agent, his training in Cuba and the United States, the way he built his secret rebel army, his bloody rebellion, and his outsized ambitions for Rwanda.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470730034
Publisher:	Trade Paper Press
Publication date:	05/04/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has worked in more than fifty countries on five continents. He has been New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul, Berlin, and Managua, Nicaragua. He is the coauthor of Bitter Fruit: The Story of the American Coup in Guatemala, and author of Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua; Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds; All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror; and Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. His Web site is www.stephenkinzer.com.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

1. You Can’t Just Pretend Nothing Happened.

2. Elegant Golden-Red Beauties.

3. That’s Why I Survived.

4. A Glass of Milk.

5. Devastation.

6. Creatures from Another World.

7. We Just Didn’t Get It.

8. This Is a Coup.

9. Madam, They’re Killing My People.

10. What a Farce.

11. Something Really Fills Up in Your Mind.

12. Rwanda Doesn’t Matter.

13. The Tricky Part.

14. When You’re Not Serious, You Can’t Be Correct.

15. Breathless with Fear.

16. Famous for Just One Thing.

17. The Web Grows Big.

18. We Aspire to Be Like Others.

Notes.

Bibliography.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A fascinating account of the near-miracle unfolding before our very eyes.... A very good read." —-Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Editorial Reviews

Kinzer (All the Shah's Men) has penned a hagiographic account of Rwandan president Paul Kagame, the Tutsi refugee who organized the Rwandan Military Front in 1994 and helped halt the genocide in Rwanda. Instead of settling scores, Kagame embarked on a program of reconciliation and reconstruction; Kinzer eloquently describes a physical and psychological recovery unmatched in Africa: a Rwanda whose people are "bubbling with a sense of unlimited possibility." Kagame's goal, modeled on the successes of "Asian tigers" like Singapore, aims to transform Rwanda into the continent's first middle-income country in a single generation, eschewing foreign aid in favor of reliance on business-driven development. Kinzer does not conceal the bloody realities behind Kagame's acquisition of power nor does he deny Kagame's "rigorous, absolutist approach to governing." Nevertheless, he is transparently trusting in Kagame's capabilities and intentions, and while his eloquent prose invites optimism, a half-century of experience urges caution. (June)

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Publishers Weekly

During the 1990s, the tiny African country Rwanda descended into a devastating genocidal conflict. It has since not only recovered but flourished. In elegant prose and vivid detail, foreign correspondent Kinzer (All the Shah's Men) reconstructs Rwanda's unique history, focusing on the dramatic story of President Paul Kagame, whom he credits as the architect of Rwanda's rebirth. The reading by J. Paul Boehmer (Moby Dick) is not as robust as one might wish, but he smoothly moves the narrative along. A fascinating title giving a solid introduction to modern African history; recommended.-[Audio clip available through www.tantor.com.-Ed.]
—R. Kent Rasmussen

Library Journal

"…tells a remarkable tale about a remarkable man."" (The Economist, August 21, 2008)

Kinzer (All the Shah’s Men) has penned a hagiographic account of Rwandan president Paul Kagame, the Tutsi refugee who organized the Rwandan Military Front in 1994 and helped halt the genocide in Rwanda. Instead of settling scores, Kagame embarked on a program of reconciliation and reconstruction; Kinzer eloquently describes a physical and psychological recovery unmatched in Africa: a Rwanda whose people are ""bubbling with a sense of unlimited possibility."" Kagame’s goal, modeled on the successes of ""Asian tigers"" like Singapore, aims to transform Rwanda into the continent’s first middle-income country in a single generation, eschewing foreign aid in favor of reliance on business-driven development. Kinzer does not conceal the bloody realities behind Kagame’s acquisition of power nor does he deny Kagame’s ""rigorous, absolutist approach to governing."" Nevertheless, he is transparently trusting in Kagame’s capabilities and intentions, and while his eloquent prose invites optimism, a half-century of experience urges caution. (June) (Publishers Weekly, April 21, 2008)

Advance Praise for A Thousand Hills

“What a fascinating tale! What an inspiration! The courage and triumph of Paul Kagame show the beauty of reconciliation and of transcendent leadership. The world needs to learn his  lessons, and Stephen Kinzer’s brilliant narrative will help make this enlightenment possible.” —Walter Isaacson, CEO, the Aspen Institute

“A fascinating account of the near-miracle unfolding before our very eyes: a country, Rwanda, rising from the ashes of genocide phoenix-like, and its President, Paul Kagame, who is making it happen. This is no hagiography, for he is depicted warts and all. . . . A very good read.” —Archbishop Desmond Tutu

From the Publisher

When Paul Kagame became its president, Rwanda was the poster nation for genocide. Now it's one of the progressive places in Africa. Paul Boehmer's smooth voice glides over horrors as roving bands of militants hacked up thousands of men, women, and children in 1994, then describes the political machinations that eventually brought Kagame to power in 2000. Boehmer brings out the author's scorn for those who stood by and let the carnage happen—especially the French, who helped the killers. He also expresses Kagame’s enthusiasm for the new Rwanda of tourism and foreign investment. Mellifluous African names are no problem for Boehmer. This is a long listen but rewarding for those whose knowledge of the Tutsi-Hutu strife is limited to the movie HOTEL RWANDA. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2009 - AudioFile