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

From the Publisher

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.

Publishers Weekly

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)

R. Kent Rasmussen - Library Journal

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.]

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