Powerful Memoir Shares a Tale of Survival, Resilience, and Unshakeable Hope
BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Evelyne Mukasonga was studying at Mudende University in Rwanda in 1994 when the airplane of Rwandan president, Juvenal Habyarimana, was shot down. The assassination tipped power into the hands of powerful members of the government who swiftly began what would come to be known as the Rwandan genocide, which would threaten the lives of Mukasonga and her family. In her new book, "From Death to Life Through Forgiveness," Mukasonga shares her and her family's first-hand experience with history-making events in Africa.
"From Death to Life Through Forgiveness" follows Mukasonga's life, including her childhood in Gisenyi, Rwanda, her escape from genocide to the Democratic Republic of Congo, her survival through the first and second Congo wars where she and her son were taken prisoner, and her transition from living in a refugee camp to living in America.
"I'm alive today because the devil left unfinished business," Mukasonga said. "I'm not a weak woman. It took strength to survive all the painful experiences I have been through. God blessed me with a forgiving
heart. I was able to let go and move on with my life and that's why I am who I am today. I wasn't going to bring back what I had lost by revenge. I had the opportunity to get my revenge when I ran into the woman who ordered the murder of my parents in Congo, but for what? Justice belongs to God, the only one who knows our hearts."
After surviving her harrowing experiences, Mukasonga wants readers to understand that healing and forgiveness are always possible and that most conflicts around the world originate from a lack of forgiveness.
"My greatest wish is that whoever reads this book will be inspired by my spirit of forgiveness, my determination to never give up, and my abiding faith in God," Mukasonga said. "Please don't consider this book in the same way you do other books you have read before. Pray before you read it so you may open your mind and receive the spirit of forgiveness and all its benefits, including freedom, peace, joy, and healing."
Her co-author, Hannah Moeckel-Rieke, plans to turn Mukasonga's experiences into educational tools to accompany the book for high school and college-level classes to help new generations learn about these important moments in history.
"From Death to Life Through Forgiveness"
By Evelyne Mukasonga with Hannah Moeckel-Rieke
ISBN: 9781504376310 (softcover); 9781504376334 (hardcover); 9781504376327 (electronic)
Available at [Balboa Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the author
Evelyne Mukasonga was born in Rwanda in 1969. During the genocide in 1994, she lost many loved ones but was able to escape to Zaire, where she met her husband. When Zaire and Rwanda subsequently went to war, Evelyne's husband, an officer in the Congolese army, was told to kill his Rwandan wife. He refused and joined a rebel group instead. Evelyne was arrested as an enemy and jailed for months with her infant son. Assisted by the UN, she and her husband were happily reunited in America in 2000. The family has helped other refugees ever since.
Born in Germany, Hannah Moeckel-Rieke moved to the US with her family in 1998. Since 2000 she has taught ESL, English, Global Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies at Norwalk Community College and UCONN Stamford. She enjoys supporting recent immigrants and refugees and appreciates their life stories that testify to their courage and resilience. Hannah and Evelyne Mukasonga met in 2014 and have enjoyed collaborating on the book since then.
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SOURCE Evelyne Mukasonga
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