Reviews
“A brilliant, lively, and daring interpretation of Musinga’s governance of Rwanda under foreign control. Documenting the colonial situation that gave rise to a precarious future, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the tragedy of Rwanda’s recent history.â€�-Jan Vansina, author of Oral Tradition as History and Antecedents to Modern Rwanda, "The richness of the tale, and the divisions that enliven the narrative, are evidence of Des Forges's skills as a narrator. In the end, this Shakespearean drama (complete with deceit and murder) is made all the more tragic because of the implications of these events on Rwanda's recent history are made painfully clear. This is a fantastic work and the loss of such a skilled historian and author Alison Des Forges just compounds the tragedy for this reader even further."-Kevin Dunn, The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "The posthumous publication of her dissertation is fitting testimony to Des Forges's life work. It not only stands as an important contribution to the historiography of the region, but also serves as a model for understanding the complexities of present-day politics in Rwanda, which, as before, do not lend themselves to static or simplistic analysis. Readers, in sum, will find much to learn and admire in these pages."--Lee Ann Fujii, The American Historical Review, "The richness of the tale, and the divisions that enliven the narrative, are evidence of Des Forges's skills as a narrator. In the end, this Shakespearean drama (complete with deceit and murder) is made all the more tragic because of the implications of these events on Rwanda's recent history are made painfully clear. This is a fantastic work and the loss of such a skilled historian and author Alison Des Forges just compounds the tragedy for this reader even further."--Kevin Dunn, The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "This carefully researched, highly readable, and detailed exploration of a critical period in Rwanda's history stands as a major contribution to our understanding of court politics before and after the advent of colonial rule. There is nothing in print in French or in English comparable to this painstaking investigation."-René Lemarchand, University of Florida, "This carefully researched, highly readable, and detailed exploration of a critical period in Rwanda's history stands as a major contribution to our understanding of court politics before and after the advent of colonial rule. There is nothing in print in French or in English comparable to this painstaking investigation."--René Lemarchand, University of Florida, "A brilliant, lively, and daring interpretation of Musinga's governance of Rwanda under foreign control. Documenting the colonial situation that gave rise to a precarious future, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the tragedy of Rwanda's recent history."-Jan Vansina, author of Oral Tradition as History and Antecedents to Modern Rwanda, "The posthumous publication of her dissertation is fitting testimony to Des Forges's life work. It not only stands as an important contribution to the historiography of the region, but also serves as a model for understanding the complexities of present-day politics in Rwanda, which, as before, do not lend themselves to static or simplistic analysis. Readers, in sum, will find much to learn and admire in these pages."-Lee Ann Fujii, The American Historical Review, "Any fan of historical literature will eagerly read this book as it gives flesh and blood to actors of a not-so-distant past. Academics will rejoice in the palpable information gathered from more than a hundred Rwandan interviewees, direct witnesses of the events or sons of the protagonists." -Danielle De Lame, African Affairs, “This carefully researched, highly readable, and detailed exploration of a critical period in Rwanda’s history stands as a major contribution to our understanding of court politics before and after the advent of colonial rule. There is nothing in print in French or in English comparable to this painstaking investigation.â€�-Ren Lemarchand, University of Florida, "The richness of the tale, and the divisions that enliven the narrative, are evidence of Des Forges's skills as a narrator. In the end, this Shakespearean drama (complete with deceit and murder) is made all the more tragic because of the implications of these events on Rwanda's recent history are made painfully clear. This is a fantastic work and the loss of such a skilled historian and author Alison Des Forges just compounds the tragedy for this reader even further."--Kevin Dunn, The International Journal of African Historical Studies, "Any fan of historical literature will eagerly read this book as it gives flesh and blood to actors of a not-so-distant past. Academics will rejoice in the palpable information gathered from more than a hundred Rwandan interviewees, direct witnesses of the events or sons of the protagonists." --Danielle De Lame, African Affairs, "This carefully researched, highly readable, and detailed exploration of a critical period in Rwanda's history stands as a major contribution to our understanding of court politics before and after the advent of colonial rule. There is nothing in print in French or in English comparable to this painstaking investigation."--Ren Lemarchand, University of Florida, "A brilliant, lively, and daring interpretation of Musinga's governance of Rwanda under foreign control. Documenting the colonial situation that gave rise to a precarious future, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the tragedy of Rwanda's recent history."-Jan Vansina, author ofOral Tradition as HistoryandAntecedents to Modern Rwanda, "A brilliant, lively, and daring interpretation of Musinga's governance of Rwanda under foreign control. Documenting the colonial situation that gave rise to a precarious future, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the tragedy of Rwanda's recent history."--Jan Vansina, author of Oral Tradition as History and Antecedents to Modern Rwanda
