Kinzer had one simple motive for writing Thousand Hills. It is an amazing untold story that needed to be shared. One the one hand, it is the condense biography of a remarkable man who, born into poverty and nearly killed when he was only two years old, rose in military rank to single-handedly lead a rebel force that ended the largest genocide in Rwanda. On the other hand, it is the telling of a nation struggling with a metamorphosis of epic proportions. After the holocaust, Paul Kagame insisted on bringing Tutsi and Hutu together, demanding that murderer and victim work as one to repair relations. ( )

I highly, highly recommend this read. One can tell right from the start that this is not just some hero worship for Kagame. Kinzer has done his research, even examining how historically the Tutsi and Hutu had lived side by side peaceably until Belgian interference created a purely politically motivated differentiation between the Tutsi and Hutu and started the country down its genocidal path. The fact that France was anything but an innocent bystander during the 1994 genocides - and just how ineffective the UN is when it comes to managing peace keeping activities - leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. This was all information I really didn't know before reading the Kinzer book. Kinzer does a fantastic job of just presenting the facts, gleaned from extensive research, visits to Rwanda and interviews with numerous figures such as Kagame and General Romeo Dallaire. Nobody is a saint in Kinzer's eyes and he leaves the door open regarding Rwanda's 'Asian Tiger' approach to move the country forward. Rwanda still has a uphill battle a head of them, but as Kinzer has pointed out, they progress they have made - for the most part without the assistance of and against the expectations of the international community - is something that deserves attention.

My best read so far this year and if I had any say in the matter - which I don't - I believe this should be required reading for any politician. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the pages of this book. ( )