cover image My Father, Maker of the Trees

My Father, Maker of the Trees

Eric Irivuzumugabe, Tracey D. Lawrence, . with Tracey D. Lawrence . Baker, $17.99 (208pp) ISBN 978-0-8010-1320-1

The author was 16 in 1994 when he fled for his life as Hutus set out to eradicate Tutsis in Rwanda. Those 100 days of genocide left more than one million people dead and also left 120,000 orphans. Irivuzumugabe survived by hiding for 15 days in a cypress tree, watching from above as Hutu killers combed the brush, killing anyone they found. He wondered about the fate of his family; he wondered if he would survive the lack of food and water. Fifteen years later, the author shares his story—and the stories of other survivors—with American readers. “I want you to know of my struggle so that you too may feel the call to forgive,” says the young man who in 2005 founded Humura Ministries to help fellow orphans in Rwanda. This story mirrors many told by those who came through Rwanda's genocide, yet the power of this book comes from a call to forgiveness worldwide as well as from the author's understanding of suffering. Americans can only benefit from this story of God's provision and grace. (Sept.)