Journal Entry 1 by sillesoeren from Hürth, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Cover: Set during the Rwandan genocide, A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali is an immensely powerful and cathartic denunciation of poverty, ignorance, global apathy and media blindness: as well as a poignant love story and a stirring hymn to humanity.

This is my BC-book Number 2000. It is going to be a BookRing. I haven't read it by now, so please handle with care.

BookRing:
1.) Aldawen (Germany)
2.) book-man-8 (Germany)
3.) Lesenmachtfroh (Germany)
4.) darkpunkangel (Canada)
5.)
6.)
7.)
8.) Sillesoeren 

Journal Entry 2 by sillesoeren at Deutz - Café Marie in Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (10/10/2006 UTC) at Deutz - Café Marie in Köln, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany

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Geht mit zum Kölner Meetup, hoffentlich ist Aldawen heute abend da. 

Journal Entry 3 by Aldawen from Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Got this book from sillesoeren at the Cologne meetup today. I think it will be an interesting complementary read to General Dallaire's book "Shake Hands with the Devil" I have actually on my MTBR as well... 

Journal Entry 4 by Aldawen from Oberhausen, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Well, I have to admit that this is a book (contrary to others...) I can't read in English. I got the feeling that I'm missing to much of the story because of the language. But as I'm really interested in it (mainly because its setting in Ruanda, and partly because of divergent reviews I read about it), I just ordered a German version. So this one can travel on as soon as I got the next address.

Anyway, thanks for passing this on, sillesoeren!
 

Journal Entry 5 by book-man-8 from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Just got it in the mail. Thanks "sillesoeren" for this bookring and "Aldawen" for sending. Will start reading soon. 

Journal Entry 6 by book-man-8 from Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Friday, November 10, 2006

This book is horrifying! It’s the story of how a nightmare develops: the genocide between Tutsi und Hutu in Rwanda in 1994. It’s the denonciation of poverty, ignorance, international apathy and true media blindness. But it is also a profound love-story. I’ve read it with shock and horror as my “co-readers”. But it is also a beautiful book, a real “must-read”! Even if toward the end I nearly got sick, so horrendous those short descriptions. But I kept on reading until the last word. Here two Thoughts I'll try to remember:

“It seems we are not what we are, nor what we appear to be. Be what you are not, otherwise you will suffer from being what you are not.”

“You can live only if you know you are going to die.”
 

Journal Entry 7 by book-man-8 at on Sunday, November 12, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (11/13/2006 UTC) at

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This book now travels to "Lesenmachtfroh". 

Journal Entry 8 by Lesenmachtfroh from Nürnberg, Bayern Germany on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Das Buch ist wohlbehalten angekommen. Merci pour la carte 'Rien ne va plus', ein schöner Himmelskörper ist das. 

Journal Entry 9 by Lesenmachtfroh from Nürnberg, Bayern Germany on Sunday, December 10, 2006

Like Aldawen, I have to admit too that I can't read this book in English. It's very strange to read an Amercan translation of a Canadian-French text. Therefor I bought an a German and French version to understand the story and to experience the original language.
Es ist einerseits erschütternd, wie Geschcihte sich immer wieder wiederholt und wie die Außenwelt sich resigniert abwendet. Zum anderen drückt es so viel persönlichen Lebenswillen und Mut der Bedrohten und Unterdrückten aus, dass wir uns hier in der westlichen Welt nur ein Beispiel nehmen können. Obwohl das Buch den grausigen Völkermord inn Runada schildert, ist es ein Plädoyer fürs Leben.
Ich werde jetzt bei darkpunkangel anfragen, ob sie das Buch noch will, da sie ja schon die französische Ausgabe bei sich hat. 

Journal Entry 10 by Lesenmachtfroh at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Bayern Germany on Monday, December 11, 2006

Released 5 yrs ago (12/12/2006 UTC) at BookRing in -- Per Post geschickt/ Persönlich weitergegeben --, Bayern Germany

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Geht an darkpunkangel in Canada auf dem WELT LAND (oder WASSER) Weg. Gute Reise. 

Journal Entry 11 by darkpunkangel from Barrie, Ontario Canada on Friday, January 26, 2007

Arrived today, thanks Lesenmachtfroh for sending it and sillesoeren for sending this. I think I will be able to start today. 

Journal Entry 12 by darkpunkangel from Barrie, Ontario Canada on Saturday, February 10, 2007

Wow, what a horrfic story that everyone should read. I actually have a french version in my TBR pile. I would agree that this is an American translation, it felt like an american was telling the story instead of a french-canadian. Very different!

Thanks sillesoeren for letting me join this bookring. Also, I got your PM and should be sending the book ASAP. 

Journal Entry 13 by darkpunkangel at Canada Post in Book Ring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Friday, February 16, 2007

Released 5 yrs ago (2/17/2007 UTC) at Canada Post in Book Ring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Now on its way home! 

Journal Entry 14 by sillesoeren from Hürth, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Sunday, February 25, 2007

The book safely arrived back home and joins the other books on MountTBR 

Journal Entry 15 by sillesoeren at Hürth, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany on Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Released 1 yr ago (1/4/2011 UTC) at Hürth, Nordrhein-Westfalen Germany

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Auch dieses Buch fiel meiner Aufräumaktion zwischen den Jahren zum Opfer. Ich freue mich sehr, dass es nun nicht mehr länger in einem Regal herum stehen muss, sondern bald wieder gelesen wird.

Viele vergnügliche Lesestunden wünsche ich!  

Journal Entry 16 by LiniP at Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Friday, January 07, 2011

I have heard a lot about this book and am looking forward to reading it. Thank you sillesoeren for sending it to me. It will have to wait a little while because I have a few ring books ahead of me. 

Journal Entry 17 by LiniP at Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg Germany on Thursday, May 26, 2011

How can I describe this book? It made me more aware of the genocide which took place in Rwanda in the early 1990´s and I have to admit that I did not really know about the extension of the massacres. The book is more descriptive than narrative and the author does not really elaborate on the feelings of the main character Valcourt.

I will release the book as a small book ray:

1. VictoriaWagtail
2. footymadgill
3. ruzena
4. finnchen
5. you?

If you are interested in reading the book please send me a PM. 

Journal Entry 18 by LiniP at by mail, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases on Friday, May 27, 2011

Released 1 yr ago (5/27/2011 UTC) at by mail, A Bookray -- Controlled Releases

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The book is off to the first participant in the bookray. I hope you enjoy reading the book even though it is not necessarily an enjoyable read. 

Journal Entry 19 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Monday, June 13, 2011

Arrived today. Thanks LiniP for sending me this book, I'm really looking forward to reading it! 

Journal Entry 20 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Friday, July 22, 2011

I consumed this book almost feverishly over the last couple of days. Just as the film "Hotel Rwanda" and the book "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" by Philip Gourevitch did, this book conveys a sickening and disturbing sense of surrealism that I so intimately connect with the Rwandan genocide. Probably more so than with any other genocide or war atrocity commited that I know of.

This is the story of a beautiful country with so much potential but ravaged by two sicknesses, HIV and hatered. The story contains much love and happiness, but no happy ending.

I'm so happy I got the chance to read this book. I'd never heard of it before and it turned out to be one of the best books I've read this year! It's a very disturbing book that set many emotions going, but those books are usualy the best ones. 

Journal Entry 21 by VictoriaWagtail at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden on Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Released 10 mos ago (7/27/2011 UTC) at Bagarmossen, Stockholm Sweden

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And the book is off to the next reader. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 22 by footymadgill at Croydon, Surrey United Kingdom on Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Received today, thanks VictoriaWagtail. It's next on my list to be read. 

Journal Entry 23 by footymadgill at A Bookcrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom on Sunday, August 14, 2011

Released 9 mos ago (8/15/2011 UTC) at A Bookcrosser, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- United Kingdom

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Posting on to the next person in the bookring. Thank you for sharing this fantastic book 

Journal Entry 24 by ruzena at Hämeenlinna, Kanta-Häme Finland on Thursday, August 18, 2011

Arrived. Thank you! 

Journal Entry 25 by ruzena at Hämeenlinna, Kanta-Häme Finland on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I appreciate a writer like Courtemanche who, having been an eyewitness, illustrates us what happened in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994. Courtemanche puts it in the form of a well-written novel. It would arouse some misunderstanding to call this novel “enjoyable”, but I find it skilfully written. There are most beautiful passages of text, providing an impressive contrast to the terrifying illustrations of factual events.
The persons are said to be real, mostly even called by their real names. Courtmanche makes Valcourt his alter ego, and does not save himself either. I was inclined to see an analogy between the individual and the community: the White Man, oversexual and exploiting, avoids his personal responsibility just like the international community neglects its collective response.
In real life, Courtemanche never learned what happened to Gentille, as an Amazon reviewer points out. Accordingly, an open end would have been better. - I found the reviews very interesting, as a couple of “been there, seen that” speakers have very opposite opinions about this book as a testimony.
Anyway, there was the massive and inhumane Rwandan Holocaust. One can imagine how deeply the genocide has been engraved on the people’s memory. I have the impression that today’s Rwanda is, among African states, a relatively democratic and stable one. If so, it must have demanded much forgiveness and forgetting.

- ruzena 

Journal Entry 26 by ruzena at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Released 9 mos ago (8/23/2011 UTC) at By mail, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Coming soon! 

Journal Entry 27 by Finnchen at Luxembourg, Kanton Luxemburg Luxembourg on Thursday, August 25, 2011

I got the book today. Thank you to ruzena for sending it.

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This is a horrific story about the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. It's a very disturbing novel, especially when you know that the book is factually correct. But it is also a love story and at certain moments it's also a very beautiful book.