Comments on: Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin

By: Mid-Challenge Review Round-Up « The Spice of Life Challenge

Mid-Challenge Review Round-Up « The Spice of Life Challenge — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:34:47 +0000

[...] read Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin, in which the cakes Angel bakes are a happy part of post-genocidal [...]

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:02:40 +0000

RC of strangeculture, I agree, we need to stay aware of these things. Thanks for sharing! I hope you enjoy this book.

By: RC of strangeculture

RC of strangeculture — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:09:37 +0000

I love the title and cover art of the book – those two factors alone would make me lift this book off the shelf.

I wish there were more books, films, and art about Africa that deals with these modern struggles, the stories of Africa are so diverse and complex and art is the perfect opportunity to create awareness.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:40:27 +0000

Haiku Amy, I got that fact from this book too. As in, the radio said “go kill your neighbor now. Or else the army will kill you.” Wow. I’m afraid to read a nonfiction account about this! But thanks for sharing the book because I really should. My ignorance is pretty embarrassing!

By: Haiku Amy

Haiku Amy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:30:54 +0000

Well, my mom said she cried when she read “Left to Tell.” I can’t recall crying, but it was pretty sad. I don’t want to give away too many details, but the author said the people doing the killings were mostly neighbors and people that she knew. Very sad stuff.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:15:05 +0000

Stephanie, I liked it!

Tami, well, as I said in my response to Jenny’s comment, I think this book is about as tame as you can get. A happy ending? How happy is life, sometimes? I think this is a book about hope, ultimately, but it does illustrate the grim realities of war and specifically genocide, all by listening to the stories of those who went through it — I imagine it’s not nearly so violent as Hotel Rwanda (which I haven’t seen). This is just the stories (fictional but based on true ones), told 6-7 years after the fact.

I do think it’s worth reading!

By: Tami

Tami — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:19:31 +0000

Everything I know about Rwanda I learned by watching “Hotel Rwanda” I felt so helpless and to think during our lifetime and even presently. I don’t like the helpless feeling. I’m listening to “Roots” now and it is so depressing and disturbing the inhumane cruelties of greedy men. When will it end?

So does this book have a happy ending? I’m not sure I want to read it when I’m such an emotional basket case when reading such abusive behavior.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:51:59 +0000

I love the cover! Sounds like a good book.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:50:53 +0000

Kathy, I hope you enjoy it! Jenny, well, I do too. This is the first book even remotely about genocide that I've ever read. I think it's the most tame--because there isn't graphic descriptions of the violence or anything. It's all told from the perspective of the survivors. Eva, the more books people recommend, the more I get scared! I don't know if I can handle a book that makes me cry THAT much, but it'll go on my "to read when I feel like I can handle it" list. Haiku Amy, how emotionally wrenching is that one? Jackie, I liked it because it was so much deeper. On the surface level, it has similar themes in that a woman hears gossip and tries to run a business, but there is no mystery and the stories she hears are a bit more heart-wrenching. I hope you like it if you read it.

By: Jackie (Farm Lane Books)

Jackie (Farm Lane Books) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:55:26 +0000

I wasn’t a fan of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, but this one sounds as though it has more depth.

I recently read Not Untrue and Not Unkind by Ed O’Loughlin which was about war correspondents in Rwanda. That book distanced you from the horrors though, as you saw things through the eyes of a reporter.

I would be interested in reading this one – I like books which move you – especially ones that can make you laugh and cry in a short period of time. Thanks for the recommendation!

By: Haiku Amy

Haiku Amy — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:21:03 +0000

You should read “Left to Tell” by Immaculée Ilibagiza. It is a story of the Rwandan Holocaust. It is really good.

By: Eva

Eva — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:03:32 +0000

I know quite a bit about Rwanda, just because of my academic/personal interests! The best book I’ve read about the genocide is by Philip Gourevitch-it’s entitled We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Famillies. It’s heart-wrenching; especially during the first part I was often crying so hard I couldn’t see the words anymore, but it fills you in completely. And there were some heroes of the genocide-Gourevitch talks about them too.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:56:28 +0000

Ouch – that excerpt hurt my heart. As a rule, I’ve steered clear of books about genocide, and I’ve never been able to decide if that’s a reasonable boundary given how emotional I get, or a cowardly avoidance of something it’s important for me to face. Either way, lots of guilt.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:51:33 +0000

I”m glad you enjoyed this one – I’m looking forward to it.

By: Rebecca Reid

Rebecca Reid — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:27:20 +0000

Amanda, That’s so funny because I forgot you’d quoted that same passage! I had two different passages marked and I decided to include this one over the other. I guess it’s the most memorable one, huh.

Cara Powers, ha ha!! Yeah, I was so intrigued by Amanda’s review, I went out and found this one! I do hope you get to it. It’s very good.

By: Cara Powers

Cara Powers — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:24:10 +0000

Here is the bad thing about reading book blogs: constantly adding to the list of books I want to read. I recently watched a documentary about a doctor revisiting Rwands and the facility where he was volunteering during the genocide. Talk about heart-wrenching. This book has been added to my wish list.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:18:12 +0000

I’m so glad you liked it. And that quote – isn’t that the most powerful thing?? I had to include it. I’m adding to a link to your review in mine.