BOOK: I’m Not Leaving (2011)
“While the stories written here happened during the genocide, this book is not really about genocide. It is more about the choices people made, actions people took, courage people showed, and sacrifices people gave in the face of genocide.”
However, these stories almost never happened. Soon after the killing started, a murderous mob appeared at the gates of the Wilkins’ home with the intention of killing the entire family. This mob was fended off not by a show of force, but by stories. Little grandmothers and mothers with babies in their arms told the mob how the Wilkinses helped them when they had problems and how the Wilkins children played with their children. Carl and his family had reached out to those who were different than they were, and because of this their lives were spared.
I’m Not Leaving flies in the face of a world embroiled in an “us versus them” mentality (Something I wrote about recentlyas well as some time ago). I had the privilege of hearing Wilkens in person and talked about people having the attitude of “the other” in the sense of how much better the world would be if the other were not in it. He said that we all are in danger of harboring such thoughts, and we need to realize that there is a world outside my shoes.I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. You can order a copy of it here.