An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda - Paul Rusesabagina

Advantages: Important, moving, well written
Disadvantages: Disturbing at points.

...have on his family are deeply distressing, although the plight of the Rwandans is always at the forefront of his narrative. The mental effects of the genocide on Dallaire himself are also disturbing, and his departure from Rwanda a broken, suicidal man means that the reader cannot help but feel deeply for him and his family. An important corrective to the portrayal of the UN soldiers in films such as 'Hotel Rwanda', this is in short a deeply moving, very important book.... Read review

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Advantages: Puts the horrors of Rwanda into perspective
Disadvantages: Sexually explicit and very very violent

...and when the author examines the role of AIDS in the destruction of Rwanda. The most shocking examples that stick in my mind range from situations the protagonists have chosen to find themselves in, to ones that are forced upon them. There's the bizarre but touching kindness of the family paying a prostitute to visit their son as he's about to die of AIDS in his friend's hotel room. Just before he takes the morphine his friends have bought for him he says "Even rich people in the United States don't have beautiful deaths like this. Then there's the arrogant and heavily pregnant diplomat's wife having her way with the beautiful black pool-boy whilst unaware that he's knowingly infecting her with HIV; there's the man forced to have sex with his wife whilst a dozen men who have already raped her look on and attack him with machetes; and finally... Read review

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Advantages: Very interesting read and full of information
Disadvantages: none

...with Richard and Judy. Paul then suffers his second heart attack and this time it is more serious, he did finally manage to make a full recovery and eventually return to work but only if he would have a weeks holiday during the filming of his show. Paul really has overcome heartache and problems to make himself a very successful chat show host, comedian and all round personality not just as Lilly Savage but also as himself. MY OPINION From the very first page of the book I was hooked. I found that even though the book was not written by Paul himself but instead by Neil Simpson it was still packed full of information and fascinating stories. There are loads of quotes from many of Paul's friend and also the man himself. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how Lilly was born and how he worked all the hours he could trying to make her a success... Read review

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