Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak

This book remains the most difficult read I have ever endured. It is harrowing in the scope of it's horror and deceiving in the simplicity of how it depicts how such an atrocity could be enacted. The voices speak for themselves, and one must be careful after awhile to recognize they are speaking of going off to work each day to slaughter other human beings not to plow the fields. I actually had to put this one down for stretches of time on a couple of occasions.

Judgements on the format aside, this is indeed one that should be required reading. Yes, the culprits are reluctant to admit their guilt, but one must bring something to this tome. It is in their denial that you can recognize how such a tragedy could transpire. Faced with difficult choices, most human beings will do what they must to survive. That instinct can conceal a plethora of evil deeds. These are flawed people that commited monsterous deeds when confronted with these choices. They succumbed and learned to minimize their role in this tragedy rather than face being ostracized or much worse by their friends and neighbors. A powerful, powerful book.

Reading this book is a sombering experience. In several interviews conducted with a group of killers, the author attempts to make sense as to why ordinary people became involved in the "low-tech" 1994 Rwandan genocide, not only killing repeatedly, but enjoying it, feeling excited about it and hardly understanding the severity of their actions. At the end of the book, we, the readers, are not any closer to a psychological solution of the mystery of human evil. I therefore resolved to go ahead and read "Cruelty" and "Worse than War" in an attempt to clarify to myself a few things. One more thing: I find it amazing that the new Tutsi government did not engage in a massive-scale retaliation against the Hutu killers. Allegedly only 33 people were officially executed in 1998.

Having lived in Rwanda for four years during the peaceful days, I am always interested in any writings on this. I have read Bob Gribbin's book about the period after the genocide and found it full of substance and information. I find this book of interviews (double-spaced and in larger print) easy to read and interesting. I don't know how much the normal reader would glean of the mentality of the Rwandan people or their lives from this.

Hatzfeld's book is a welcome addition to the published works on the subject of the Rwandan genocide. It would have benefitted by Hatzfeld making use of his access to the prisoners by actually asking probing questions, but such was not his method. A brief histoty of European influence on Rwanda and it's native peoples would also have been welcome, although from my reading neither this information nor any other lends a believable explanation for the Rwandan genocidal chaos of 1994.

I love the way the book was presented (a stylistic choice suitable to the topic and not at all structurally flawed as another reviewer suggests).

If you are expecting to come away with some definitive answers about the genocide... think again, as it is not the purpose of this book. The beauty of this book is that is illuminating, but somewhat open. Hatzfeld does not spoon feed the reader and he keeps the book's focus on the voices of the men he interviewed. There is a rawness about the process of human self-reflection and this book captures it, laying bare the truths and lies people tell themselves while recounting their role in the past. The human psyche is fascinating, and what people choose to share is as interesting as what we see them refuse to share. For example, some passages reveal a shocking frankness -sometimes as much a shock to the speaker as the reader. Yet, some passages reveal a distance, a cold detachedness... a refusal or incapability of the soul to either publicly or privately connect and unburden. All this said, Hatzfeld acknowledges that beyond inner turmoil, legal and other reprecussions influence what is shared and what is not.

This is a MUST READ for those who study genocide and mass violence. It is recommended for all interested others who have the maturity, respect, and the stomach to handle it.

For those not familiar with the Rwandan genocide: If you are looking for an excellent book that will help you understand a little something about what happened and why see "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda" by Philip Gourevitch. Read Gourevitch first and Hatzfeld's book afterward. You can't understand and fully appreciate this book properly -and its significant contribution -unless you have some background knowledge of the genocide.