Love Made Me an Inventor: The Story of Maggy Barankitse - Humanitarian, Genocide Survivor, Citizen Without Borders - by David Toole (Paperback)

About the Book

"Explores the life and work of Maggy Barankitse, genocide survivor and founder of Maison Shalom, an organization that has cared for orphans and refugees in Burundi and Rwanda"--

Book Synopsis

Foreword by Emmanuel Katongole

On October 25, 1993, Maggy Barankitse buried seventy-two bodies in a mass grave on the grounds of the bishop's house in Burundi, a day after she was made to watch as they were murdered in a fit of ethnic violence. What happened next would save tens of thousands of children from death and despair during a protracted civil war

Love Made Me an Inventor is how Marguerite (Maggy) Barankitse describes how she has been able to accomplish her life-saving work. In this first-ever authorized biography in English, readers will encounter her extraordinary journey from survivor to founder of Maison Shalom and the name "Angel of Burundi."

For twenty-two years Maison Shalom provided care for mothers and children devastated by war and ethnic violence in Burundi. Then, after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in 2015, Maggy's work shifted to helping Burundian refugees in Rwanda through education, healthcare, and community services.

From the Back Cover

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women

POLITICAL SCIENCE / Genocide & War Crimes

HISTORY / Africa / East

Cover design: Christian Ferney

Photo credit: Getty Images

ISBN 978-1-62698-616-9

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Review Quotes

"One of the most hopeful books I have ever read." --William T. Cavanaugh, DePaul University, author, Gathered in My Name

"In a time of national political division, Maggy Barankitse challenges us to live a faith anchored in love built on justice. Do we have the courage to embody faith that acts with such love and commitment? Maggy can show us the way with singing and dancing and a deep resolve. Let us all become inventors in Maggy's Spirit-driven style."--Simone Campbell, SSS, author; Hunger for Hope, recipient, 2022 Presidential Medal of Freedom

"Saints are made by ordinary people doing brave and humble things in extraordinary circumstances. Maggie Barankitse is one of those saints. David Toole tells a magnificent and human story from the Great Lakes region of Africa. An inspiration!"--Rose Marie Berger, senior editor, Sojourners magazine

"Maggy Barankitse's defiance of genocide and embrace of love continue to redeem a landscape of suffering and war. David Toole's book opened a world to me."--Richard Lischer, Duke Divinity School; author, Our Hearts Are Restless: The Art of Spiritual Memoir

"An exceptional book about an extraordinary woman. Few people in the world exemplify, as Maggy does, such a powerful story of inspiration, innovation. You will be inspired, encouraged, and changed . . . for the better."--L. Gregory Jones, President of Belmont University; author, Christian Social Innovation

David Toole has finally made Maggy's full story available in this narrative, the fruit of a long friendship between a perceptive writer and a saint. This is one of the most hopeful books I have ever read. --William T. Cavanaugh, professor, DePaul University

About the Author

David Toole is Nannerl O. Keohane Director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University, where he holds a joint appointment as associate professor of the practice of theology, ethics, and global health in the Duke Global Health Institute and Duke Divinity School. He is author of Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo and founder of Love's Inventions, a non-profit dedicated to spreading Maggy's message to the world and supporting her ongoing work in Africa. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Durham, NC.