An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina Summary

An Ordinary Man is a memoir detailing Paul Rusesabagina’s experience sheltering 1,268 refugees during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide as manager of Hôtel des Mille Collines. It explores his use of negotiation, bribery, and hospitality skills to protect Tutsi and moderate Hutu civilians while critiquing international inaction. The book blends personal courage with historical account, later inspiring the film Hotel Rwanda.

This book appeals to readers interested in Holocaust/genocide studies, African history, or real-life stories of moral courage. Human rights advocates, students of ethical leadership, and fans of memoirs like Night or Schindler’s List will find its themes of resilience and diplomacy compelling. It’s also valuable for understanding systemic violence and individual agency.

Yes – reviewers call it “gripping, horrific, and uplifting,” with lasting emotional impact. Rusesabagina’s firsthand account of barricading survivors for 100 days offers unique insights into crisis leadership. While some note potential narrative biases, its raw depiction of humanity amid chaos makes it essential for understanding modern genocide.

As hotel manager, Rusesabagina leveraged his hospitality training to negotiate with militias, using alcohol, flattery, and bribes to stall violence. He maintained a façade of normalcy through daily routines like serving drinks while secretly housing refugees. His hybrid Hutu-Tutsi heritage allowed him to navigate ethnic tensions strategically.

Key themes include:

• Moral courage in extremis: Choosing humanity over tribal loyalty
• Hospitality as resistance: Using “ordinary” hotel management skills for lifesaving
• International abandonment: Critique of UN/US non-intervention
• Identity complexity: Navigating mixed Hutu-Tutsi heritage

While the film dramatizes events, the book provides deeper political context about colonial legacies and Rusesabagina’s internal conflicts. It includes harrowing details omitted from the movie, like radio death threats against his family and postwar trauma leading to exile in Belgium.

• “Wherever the killing season should next begin...my hope is that there will still be those ordinary men who say a quiet no” – advocating grassroots resistance.
• “I am a hotel manager” – underscoring how mundane skills become extraordinary tools.

He condemns Western nations and the UN for abandoning Rwanda despite clear evidence of genocide, noting how empty promises left refugees stranded. This inaction shaped his postwar activism for global accountability in conflict zones.

Some historians debate Rusesabagina’s account of events, arguing he overstates his role. Others question his postwar political affiliations. However, most agree the book authentically captures survivors’ desperation and the genocide’s psychological toll.

Rusesabagina dissects how Belgian colonialists weaponized ethnic divisions between Hutus and Tutsis through ID cards and propaganda. His mixed heritage and marriage to a Tutsi wife frame identity as fluid rather than fixed, challenging genocide’s tribal logic.

The memoir warns against dehumanizing rhetoric and complacency toward escalating violence. Its hotel-as-sanctuary model inspires grassroots crisis management when institutions fail – particularly relevant to contemporary refugee crises and authoritarian regimes.

A hotelier trained in European etiquette, he used “performance” – serving whiskey, invoking fake connections – to manipulate militias. His father’s emphasis on education and his mother’s Tutsi resilience forged his belief in dialogue over brute force.