Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

Tracy Kidder is a marvelously clear-thinking and straightforward writer whose books (all non-fiction) are some of my favorites. In Strength in What Remains he tells of a young medical student in Burundi who gets caught in the clash between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes; he spends six months of his life running and hiding in the face of the unspeakable brutalities of that war. He manages to get to the U.S. (knowing no one and with only $200 in his pocket) and continue with his education. An extremely intelligent and sensitive young man, he is also emotionally damaged by his experience of the African war. His story is amazing and compellingly told in Kidder's wonderful reportorial writing.