Just finished reading Land of A Thousand Hills My Life in Rwanda by Rosamond Halsey Carr. It was certainly one of those books that once I finsihed it I wished that it had not ended. I could have read more and more stories of her life.  What a fascinating life she led. After completing the book I had to go online and do a search for her to find out what happened with her since the book was published.

Her memoirs are about how she grew up in America but married an older man in the late 1940's who was a film maker as well as a trophied hunter. With him she moves to Africa to build a life on a plantation and accompany him on safari. Although the marriage does not last  and they part ways her new found love of Africa and the people keep her firmly planted on the continent. In her book she describes her trials and tribulations as a single American woman running a plantation amid a country that is in conflict. Her life spans through the tumultuous fight for Rwandan independence through to the genocide of the Tutsi's in 1994 and the horrific circumstances she and the rest of the Rwandan people faced in the aftermath of the massacre. At 82 and in hiding in the United States she tells how she felt compeled to return to Rwanda and salvage what was left of her life there. It is terrific read for anyone who loves bio's of strong women who overcome seemingly insurmountable circumstances to fulfill their dreams.

I read many African books over the years, but this one was special. Just a lovely woman and her take on life was refreshing. Highly recommended.