More on Things I Read

"We must have global vigilance. And never again must we be shy in the face of the evidence." - President Clinton's apology in Rwanda, 1998

I finished reading 100 Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide, by Jared Cohen. When I began reading it, I thought most of the book would be lost on me. It's written in the manner of a text book and there are more acronyms than you can shake a stick at, all in reference to government departments or positions. Because of this, I was surprised to find the book truly interesting. The subject matter fascinated me, and perhaps such interest is a prerequisite for reading and enjoying the book. There was so much information readily available to the American policy makers that it astounds me that nothing was done in regards to Rwanda until after the genocide was over. Excuse after excuse was made for the delays: bureaucracy, not appreciating the magnitude of the violence, and so on and so forth. I really thought Cohen did an exceptional job at writing an honest record about what really went on in the US government during the Rwanda genocide. Anyone who is interested in this particular subject should read it if for no other reason than to understand what was happening in Rwanda in 1994.

I'm now reading two books. A Mind Awake is an anthology of C.S. Lewis. What a brilliant man.

The other book is called The Faith Club, written by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner. Ranya is a Muslim, Suzanne is a Christian and Priscilla is Jewish. I'm about 100 pages in and am captivated as I sit in on their weekly meetings and listen to these women dialogue about their religions and their own personal faiths. A focal point of their discussions is viewing all three of their religions as having the same roots. I also realize that I don't know how I feel about all the things that are being said in the book, but having never had a Muslim friend, or a practicing Jewish friend, it's very interesting to me to read what Ranya and Priscilla write. Particularly, I was surprised to read Priscilla's reaction to Suzanne's description of the crucifixion story. I would really like someone else to read this book so we can discuss it. Any takers?

Sorry for the long post.

Peace.