Strength In What Remains Summary

Reading Strength In What Remains by Tracy Kidder after learning about genocides in school gave me a much deeper impression on the impact and effect of cultural genocides on societies. It also gave me a new perspective on how people in various cultures have different processing of these historical events. Strength In What Remains depicts Deo, a medical student, who lived in Rwanda, fleeing for his life to seek refuge in another country. This book describes his journey coming into the United States with two hundred dollars and no knowledge of English only to transform into a brand new person who ultimately completes his medical degree in multiple prestigious universities because of the people he meets throughout his journey. Deo then utilizes his skills and money to return to his village and give back to his people. To me, this story conveys the ethic that with perseverance, one can endure obstacles to achieve a vision. But what is achieved can not happen without benevolent people, in this case, total strangers Deo meets on the street. After fleeing the genocide and civil war in the French colony of Rwanda and Burundi, he meets Sharon Mckenna in New York City, a nun. She puts Deo before herself by finding him a home where he stays for the next seven years. Finding a stable home for Deo to live comfortably in, he was able to attain financial stability. Nancy

This book in some ways just reminds me that no matter how boring some volunteer work might seem sometimes, it is altruistic in ways we will never understand. Even simple things like handing out water, setting up luminaria bags honoring love ones, or simply playing music for military personnel, veterans and their families reminds me that simply my vision is to help, to be an influence of good. A small amount of your own time can go a long way for someone