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When The Hills Ask For Your Blood: A Personal Story of Genocide and Rwanda
'Tremendous. A moving and haunting tribute to the human spirit' WILLIAM BOYDInto the heart of a genocide that left a million people dead6 April 1994: In the skies above Rwanda the president’s plane is shot down in flames. Near Kigali, Jean-Pierre holds his family close, fearing for their lives as the violence escalates. In the chapel of a hillside village, missionary priest Vjeko Curic prepares to save thousands of livesThe mass slaughter that follows – friends against friends, neighbours against neighbours - is one of the bloodiest chapters in historyTwenty years on, BBC Newsnight producer David Belton, one of the first journalists into Rwanda, tells of the horrors he experienced at first-hand. Now following the threads of Jean-Pierre and Vjeko Curic’s stories, he revisits a country still marked with blood, in search of those who survived and the legacy of those who did not. This is David Belton's quest for the limits of bravery and forgiveness.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2014
20 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
David Belton
5 books3 followersDavid Belton is a director, writer, and film producer. His experiences as a BBC reporter covering the 1994 Rwandan Genocide led him to write the original story and produce the film Shooting Dogs, directed by Michael Caton-Jones, which dramatizes the events at the Ecole Technique Officielle in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. It was retitled Beyond the Gates for its 2007 U.S. release. He has directed documentaries (for the BBC, Simon Schama's Power of Art, "The Silent War") and drama-documentaries and documentaries for PBS (God in America and The Amish) and dramas for the BBC (Ten Days to War).
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 7, 2022
What happened in Rwanda is so intense it’s virtually unimaginable that anyone who lived through it or participated in it could heal. It wasn’t only genocide, it was betrayal at the most foundational levels. Neighbors, fellow villagers, and trusted “friends” committed brutal atrocities against people they had, in many cases, known their whole lives. It was up-close, unflinching, and impassioned. And that’s terrifying. Why do we in the west know so little about these events?
I found the chapters focusing on the years after the genocide fascinating — I wanted to see what people had discovered through grappling with anger and forgiveness, and how they had learned to cope living among people that may have participated in the atrocities, or live with themselves for having participated. It seems the entire nation must be struggling to come to terms with loss, grief, shame and identity. My heart is heavy for Rwanda.
I found the chapters focusing on the years after the genocide fascinating — I wanted to see what people had discovered through grappling with anger and forgiveness, and how they had learned to cope living among people that may have participated in the atrocities, or live with themselves for having participated. It seems the entire nation must be struggling to come to terms with loss, grief, shame and identity. My heart is heavy for Rwanda.
September 11, 2017
It's strange I kind of loved it and hated it, it's a stunning work of literature that I think we of today's age can learn a lot from. Also a clear warning of what can happen when people surrender their freedom to politicians
July 19, 2023
Provides lots of information on the genocide. However, I do find the book problematic in a number of ways. Firstly, the author, a white man working for the BBC, tells the stories of two Rwandans who survived the genocide. However, he does not explain whether these are their words; their consent to their stories being told; how involved they were in the process of the book etc. It would have been good if he could have given a bit of info on how he goes about, as a white Western man, dictating stories that are not his.
Secondly, one of the three main actors in the book, a white Bosnian missionary, becomes almost the sole interest of the book in the later chapters. Again I find it problematic that a book supposedly about the Rwandan genocide turns into a book about how a white missionary saved tons of people from death (I.e a saviour story). The author dedicates so much interest and import onto this man. What does this say about what stories matter and what stories do not? About which people matter and those who do not? Also, by the sounds of it, the missionary was a bit of a white saviour with a martyr complex.
Ultimately, these few questions encapsulate the problems I have with this book:
Who are the voices that are not being heard?
Who are the voices that are being heard?
From whose perspective are these stories being told?
How are these stories being told?
Who is doing the telling of these stories?
Secondly, one of the three main actors in the book, a white Bosnian missionary, becomes almost the sole interest of the book in the later chapters. Again I find it problematic that a book supposedly about the Rwandan genocide turns into a book about how a white missionary saved tons of people from death (I.e a saviour story). The author dedicates so much interest and import onto this man. What does this say about what stories matter and what stories do not? About which people matter and those who do not? Also, by the sounds of it, the missionary was a bit of a white saviour with a martyr complex.
Ultimately, these few questions encapsulate the problems I have with this book:
Who are the voices that are not being heard?
Who are the voices that are being heard?
From whose perspective are these stories being told?
How are these stories being told?
Who is doing the telling of these stories?
August 28, 2018
Harrowing.
December 11, 2015
This book is an interesting account of the Rwandan genocide, including the perspective of the journalist and accounts of survivors. The best thing about this account is that it is largely unbiased.
I briefly encountered this topic in history class back in high school. Learnt about how the Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda in that year. But this book brought to light another side of the story, how the Hutus (innocent or not) also had to fear for their lives when and after the RPF invaded and freed the country. How they were also massed murdered in the name of justice or vengeance and yet, these crimes were mostly ignored. That's something many history books left out.
I still find the Rwandan genocide an unsettling, though fascinating, part of world history.
In other genocides like that of Nazi Germany during WWII, only the SS (or fervent supporters of the Nazi ideology) were involved in the atrocities. But in the case of the Rwandan genocide, neighbours, co-workers, friends and family members picked up guns, knives and axes to brutally murder people they have known (and probably loved) all their lives. Just because they were Tutsis.
I definitely recommend people to read this book to learn more about this black spot in Rwandan history. It teaches you alot about people and life. And this author/journalist has done a good job in telling this story.
I briefly encountered this topic in history class back in high school. Learnt about how the Hutus massacred the Tutsis in Rwanda in that year. But this book brought to light another side of the story, how the Hutus (innocent or not) also had to fear for their lives when and after the RPF invaded and freed the country. How they were also massed murdered in the name of justice or vengeance and yet, these crimes were mostly ignored. That's something many history books left out.
I still find the Rwandan genocide an unsettling, though fascinating, part of world history.
In other genocides like that of Nazi Germany during WWII, only the SS (or fervent supporters of the Nazi ideology) were involved in the atrocities. But in the case of the Rwandan genocide, neighbours, co-workers, friends and family members picked up guns, knives and axes to brutally murder people they have known (and probably loved) all their lives. Just because they were Tutsis.
I definitely recommend people to read this book to learn more about this black spot in Rwandan history. It teaches you alot about people and life. And this author/journalist has done a good job in telling this story.
September 25, 2015
Having just come back from a volunteering spell in Rwanda I borrowed this book from my local library. Good read. It takes a small number of people and walks them through exactly what they did during and how the survived the 1994 Genocide. Some of the stories are grim, but they are all fascinating. The end of the book is also telling in that it chronicles how one of the characters - a priest - was murdered afterwards, and the quest to find his killers.
The author's own semi-breakdown on the Rwanda/DRC border is also chronicled honestly and compellingly. I think as a book to explain the madness of 1994 and how it ripped apart the lives of the surviviors it's an excellent read. Recommended.
PS the author also either directed or produced a movie called - I think - shooting dogs, about the Genocide. I have not seen it yet but I plan to do so.
The author's own semi-breakdown on the Rwanda/DRC border is also chronicled honestly and compellingly. I think as a book to explain the madness of 1994 and how it ripped apart the lives of the surviviors it's an excellent read. Recommended.
PS the author also either directed or produced a movie called - I think - shooting dogs, about the Genocide. I have not seen it yet but I plan to do so.
November 30, 2014
Having read several other books on the Rwandan genocide I knew that it would be somewhat grueling. The author has written an honest and very realistic account of his experience of both the time of the massacre and later. he tells the stories of two people living in Rwanda, Jean Pierre and Vjeko Curje. While non-fiction the book is very gripping and reads almost like a novel although the horror and despair soon put pay to tat misconception.
August 15, 2025
A challenging read, not just because of the content matter (I had to pause it while in Rwanda) but also due to the writing style. I found it incredibly hard to follow the voices and make sense of the flow of the narratives. I am also not sure how I feel about the Rwandan stories being told through his voice or perspective. It wasn't particularly clear... The focus on the years after the genocide was fascinating and often insight into the reconstruction process and refugee situations. However, the focus became quite fixed on the Bosnian priest, which then took away from the Rwandan setting.
This book will not be my first recommendation for those interested in learning more about this horrible chapter of history.
This book will not be my first recommendation for those interested in learning more about this horrible chapter of history.
July 25, 2018
A true, jaw-dropping and sad story about the brutality of the Hutu against the Tutsi in ancient Rwanda based on propaganda and inferiority. This book has compelled me to look out for more books and movies on the Rwandan genocide in a bid to personally understand and get to the bottom of this whole nightmare that befell innocent people. The beauty is majority victims have recollected themselves, tried to make peace with their past and working towards the development of their country alongside their killers. The church should pick lessons from Curic Vjecko's selflessness, neutrality, empathy and courage amidst the holocaust.
I loved the whole book, looking forward to reading Phillip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families.
I loved the whole book, looking forward to reading Phillip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families.
August 1, 2023
A very important book about the terrible genocide in Rwanda. There description if violence is at times unbearable, but is important to read as it is real. The stories are shocking and destructive. When hindsight is unhelpful. Beautifully written and leaves you thinking about humanity.
February 6, 2019
A personal story of the Rwandan genocide told by a journalist working for the BBC - about shame, personal courage and fear.
March 12, 2017
Clear and readable:
It was good to read something that also went forward into the more recent history (2012, I think), although I am still looking for something that tells me what Rwanda is like other than the genocide. I suppose it is going to be hard to find something that covers that aspect, as it is so much a part of their recent history. Certainly a book worth reading if you want a follow up on what happened later.
It was good to read something that also went forward into the more recent history (2012, I think), although I am still looking for something that tells me what Rwanda is like other than the genocide. I suppose it is going to be hard to find something that covers that aspect, as it is so much a part of their recent history. Certainly a book worth reading if you want a follow up on what happened later.
July 23, 2016
Supplied by Random House New Zealand for an honest review
This is an account of the genocide in Rwanda twenty years on, when the Hutu ethnic group began 100 days of bloody slaughter of their Tutsi friends and neighbours. The story is told in three time periods; 1994, 2004, 2012-2013. The stories of two survivors are woven together showing what the people went through as well as the challenges they faced after the war and their lives now.
Father Vjeko Curic, a Bosnia Croat Franciscan priest, stayed throughout the slaughter and saved many lives. A hard-drinking, hard-living, larger than life man, he gave sanctuary to many terrified Tutsi by sheer force of will and smuggled them to safety. Organising Red Cross convoys of food and medicine to be trucked in from neighbouring Burundi, he delivered them to the thousands of Tutsis seeking refuge in the Franciscan cathedral. After an uneasy peace was restored, he redirected his efforts to rebuilding houses and caring for the thousands accused of participating in the massacres who were rotting in jail. Sadly, he was too outspoken about the failings of the new regime and murdered in 1998.
Jean-Pierre, a Tutsi, survived the genocide by hiding for over two months in a disused septic tank. His Zairean friend helped conceal him but when he emerged he found his parents and siblings slaughtered and his wife and children missing. His wife’s journey with their children to seek safety is also told. He became an invaluable source of information and help to the many Westerners who flooded Rwanda after the genocide ended.
The why of the genocide is examined, the propaganda campaign that labeled Tutsi as cockroaches that needed to be exterminated a compelling factor, but the reasons and tensions between the two ethnic groups go back hundreds of years and are too complex to identify. The new Rwanda is shown, the efforts to bring forgiveness and reconciliation between victims and killers and to forge unity between the people.
A really tough book to read but worthwhile. It shows how easily propoganda can be spread and is a good lesson to think for yourself.
This is an account of the genocide in Rwanda twenty years on, when the Hutu ethnic group began 100 days of bloody slaughter of their Tutsi friends and neighbours. The story is told in three time periods; 1994, 2004, 2012-2013. The stories of two survivors are woven together showing what the people went through as well as the challenges they faced after the war and their lives now.
Father Vjeko Curic, a Bosnia Croat Franciscan priest, stayed throughout the slaughter and saved many lives. A hard-drinking, hard-living, larger than life man, he gave sanctuary to many terrified Tutsi by sheer force of will and smuggled them to safety. Organising Red Cross convoys of food and medicine to be trucked in from neighbouring Burundi, he delivered them to the thousands of Tutsis seeking refuge in the Franciscan cathedral. After an uneasy peace was restored, he redirected his efforts to rebuilding houses and caring for the thousands accused of participating in the massacres who were rotting in jail. Sadly, he was too outspoken about the failings of the new regime and murdered in 1998.
Jean-Pierre, a Tutsi, survived the genocide by hiding for over two months in a disused septic tank. His Zairean friend helped conceal him but when he emerged he found his parents and siblings slaughtered and his wife and children missing. His wife’s journey with their children to seek safety is also told. He became an invaluable source of information and help to the many Westerners who flooded Rwanda after the genocide ended.
The why of the genocide is examined, the propaganda campaign that labeled Tutsi as cockroaches that needed to be exterminated a compelling factor, but the reasons and tensions between the two ethnic groups go back hundreds of years and are too complex to identify. The new Rwanda is shown, the efforts to bring forgiveness and reconciliation between victims and killers and to forge unity between the people.
A really tough book to read but worthwhile. It shows how easily propoganda can be spread and is a good lesson to think for yourself.
January 28, 2015
David Belton. Harrowing.
When The Hills Ask For Your Blood.
April the 6th 1994 is a date all Rwandans will remember, the presidents plane was shot out of the sky killing him,and kick starting one of the worst acts of genocide ever known. It lasted about 100 days and cost the lives of approximately one million people. This is one mans story being told as he went through Rwanda, not with a gun or machete but with notebook and pencil. He tells you everything that he saw happen, and some of it is heartbreaking. Highly recommended read.
5 stars. 28 January 2015.
When The Hills Ask For Your Blood.
April the 6th 1994 is a date all Rwandans will remember, the presidents plane was shot out of the sky killing him,and kick starting one of the worst acts of genocide ever known. It lasted about 100 days and cost the lives of approximately one million people. This is one mans story being told as he went through Rwanda, not with a gun or machete but with notebook and pencil. He tells you everything that he saw happen, and some of it is heartbreaking. Highly recommended read.
5 stars. 28 January 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews