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This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor's Story of Escape, Faith, and Forgiveness | 
 enlarge | Authors: Gilbert Tuhabonye, Gary Brozek
Publisher: Amistad
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy Used: $4.05
You Save: $19.90 (83%)
New (41) Used (24) Collectible (1) from $4.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 60320
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0060817518
Dewey Decimal Number: 967.57204
EAN: 9780060817510
ASIN: 0060817518
Publication Date: May 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Light wear on cover. Pages clean. Reliable seller. Fast shipping from central Texas (Austin area). All international orders ship by airmail.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
With nowhere to run, I burrowed my way underneath a smoking mound of bodies Gilbert Tuhabonye is a survivor. More than ten years ago the centuries-old battle between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes of Africa came to his school. Fueled by hatred, the Hutus forced more than a hundred Tutsi children and teachers into a small room and used machetes to slash most of them to death. The unfortunate ones who survived were doused with gasoline and set on fire. After hiding under a heap of his smoldering classmates for more than eight hours, Gilbert heard a voice saying, "You will be all right; you will survive." He knew it was God speaking to him. Gilbert was the lone survivor of the attack at his school, and thanks his enduring faith in God for his survival. Today, Gilbert is a world-class athlete, running coach, and celebrity in his new hometown of Austin, Texas. The road to this point has been a tough one, but he uses his survival instincts to spur him on to the goal of qualifying for the 2008 Olympic summer games. This Voice in My Heart portrays not only the horrific event, but the transformative power of real forgiveness and the gift of faith in God. This riveting story will touch you from its first page and offer inspiration for years to come.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Purchased one for our school library! April 22, 2008
An excellent book. Not only does it give the story of Gilbert's experience, but a wonderful insight to the culture and educational system of the country. Many of our teachers and students have enjoyed the book. I made a second purchase to donate to the school library.
It is also a beautiful inspirational read.
Wonderous story December 22, 2007
It is too easy to think the world is right. We may see or hear things on TV and get along with our day and our activities. Here is a real story of survival that was born out of an ordinary day in the life of a privileged young man, and how everything changed in his life from that moment on. How he found guidance through the Voice in his Heart that he has now learned to trust and follow in all decisions.
MUST READ August 15, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I truly enjoyed this book.
It meant a lot to me because I was able to see Gilbert speak at the Oklahoma City Marathon.
He is an inspiration!
Reflection August 10, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Pause a bit in your busy life and read this amazing book. The writing style is unique. The message of hope is clear. Genocide on a large scale is a subject we don't understand here in America. Gilbert's story will enlighten you, force you to count your blessings, and make you ponder.
The story of early explorations of Africa by David Livingstone is a helpful introduction to this continent. Gilbert's description of his country is very modern - his ordeal began only fourteen years ago. It provides a whole new way of thinking about how Africans lived and now live.
I am grateful to my friend in Pa. who shared a copy (signed by Gilbert) of the book with me. It's an unforgettable story about a place in Africa (Burundi) I had never heard of; about running competitions and how qualified runners in developing countries can acquire training, and about a terrible tragedy. Gilbert, a gifted runner, being the lone survivor to give the account.Gilbert details his life, his education, his experience in international running competitions, and his present life in Austin, Texas.
Best wishes, Gilbert, for success in the 2008 Olympics. May your story reach every nation. May genocide in Africa and everywhere else in our world be banned. May God continue to bless you and your efforts to build of bridge of understanding and love between nations.
 Reviewed by Carianne Carleo-Evangelist January 26, 2007
This Voice in My Heart by Gilbert Tuhabonye (Amistad--May 2006) is a heart wrenching account of what one young man, Mr. Tuhabonye, who, at the time, went by his birth name of Tuhabonyemana--Child of God--went through at a time of extreme political upheaval in his homeland of Burundi. This book is a must-read for those interested in history as well as those who want to know more about what can drive a young man to overcome and not only survive, but make a name for himself.
Early on in his story, Mr. Tuhabonye writes, "If you were to read the history of Burundi in a schoolbook, it would tell a story very different from the story of my early years. You would read words like war-torn, genocide, impoverished and sanctions. Despite all the violence and unrest that has plagued the country since it first achieved independence in 1962, for me, growing up on its southern hillsides and deep valleys, Burundi was truly a paradise." I imagine this was placed where it was to set the contrast in motion in the reader's mind--that what we get on the news--especially the Western News--is not necessarily what people are experiencing, however it had a different effect to me. Burundi, whether painted in a positive or negative light, hadn't made much of an impact on me. I don't recall spending more than a few moments glossing over the country in history and geography classes so this insider's look told me more than I could ever have expected to know. And though he wrote it as an adult, we got the point of view of a young child peering out at the world from the safety of his campus and trying to make sense of a world gone seemingly mad. An idea that most people born and raised in the relative safety of the USA cannot even begin to imagine.
The author also focuses on the little things, which serve as a reminder that material things are not necessary in order to remember times in our lives. If you fix something that's broken there's a chance that you'll lose the story of why it was broken in the first place. And what's more important? The story of the homeland to pass on to future generations or a perfect smile? A smile can always be addressed but a story once gone is lost forever. Mr. Tuhabonye's work with this story is key to making sure the story of the Burundi genocide is not lost. A reminder to the West that we must remember if we're going to avoid repeating history.
The story's pace kept the reader engaged in the story--we learned some details of the country's history while at the same time learned the small details of the life of a normal teenage boy--a life seriously interrupted by a snowballing series of events in October 1993.
From his recollections of his early days, how he longed to follow his older siblings in both their chores and going to school to the day when his life changed in seemingly an instant, Mr. Tuhabonye covered it all with a voice that seemed more as if he was talking to a few friends rather than such a large audience. It all started on a normal day: a young boy worrying about exams and thinking about a race--never realizing the next race he'd be facing was one to save his own life--to prove he was a true survivor.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in a room where your classmates and teachers were dying around me. Dying at the hands of people I'd lived along side of. I cannot imagine having the foresight to use a classmate's bone to free myself, but Mr. Tuhabonye showed us that he has what is needed to succeed.
That drive will take him far, whether it's to Beijing in 2008 or to the next location where he speaks of the atrocities he faced, but it will help him to succeed in whatever path he pursues. He's already shown what he's made of.
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