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With nowhere to run, I burrowed my way underneath a smoking mound of bodies
Gilbert Tuhabonye is a survivor. More than ten years ago the centuries-old battle between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes of Africa came to his school. Fueled by hatred, the Hutus forced more than a hundred Tutsi children and teachers into a small room and used machetes to slash most of them to death. The unfortunate ones who survived were doused with gasoline and set on fire. After hiding under a heap of his smoldering classmates for more than eight hours, Gilbert heard a voice saying, "You will be all right; you will survive." He knew it was God speaking to him. Gilbert was the lone survivor of the attack at his school, and thanks his enduring faith in God for his survival.
Today, Gilbert is a world-class athlete, running coach, and celebrity in his new hometown of Austin, Texas. The road to this point has been a tough one, but he uses his survival instincts to spur him on to the goal of qualifying for the 2008 Olympic summer games. This Voice in My Heart portrays not only the horrific event, but the transformative power of real forgiveness and the gift of faith in God. This riveting story will touch you from its first page and offer inspiration for years to come.
Gilbert Tuhabonye was a teenager at school in Burundi, Africa, when the centuries-old conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes came into his life. Tuhabonye was herded into a small room with his fellow Tutsi students and teachers, where Hutus beat most of them to death, doused them with gasoline, and set them on fire.
Tuhabonye hid under burning bodies for more than eight hours before making his escape, the only survivor of the massacre. Badly burned himself, he credits his survival to his faith in God. This Voice in My Heart is the tale of Tuhabonye’s remarkable journey. While his survival under such horrific conditions is astonishing, perhaps even more remarkable is his ability to forgive his attackers and move on with his life. This Voice in My Heart teaches the real meaning of courage, faith, and forgiveness. Gilbert Tuhabonye was born on November 22, 1974, in the southern county of Songa in Burundi, East Central Africa. His parents were part of the Tutsi tribe and were farmers by profession. In October 1993, Tuhabonye was the only survivor of a massacre of Tutsi students and teachers at his school. After recovering from his injuries, he came to the United States to study, graduating from Abilene Christian University. He was a national champion runner, and is now a track coach in Austin, Texas, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Gary Brozek is a former Senior Editor at Plume/Penguin and lives in New York. “Gilbert Tuhabonye’s story is much more than a common account of the American immigrant: it is an improbable, soul-searching journey of faith that inspires others to seek the One who lives within the heart.” – Rick Perry, Governor of Texas
