A People Betrayed by Linda Melvern Summary
Overview of A People Betrayed
"A People Betrayed" exposes how Western powers abandoned Rwanda during genocide. Lt.-General Dallaire called it "extraordinary," revealing the UN Security Council never discussed the slaughter for four weeks. Melvern's meticulous investigation became key evidence in the International Criminal Tribunal, forever changing genocide prevention discourse.
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Key takeaways
When the World Looked Away
April 1994. In just one hundred days, neighbor turned against neighbor in Rwanda. Machetes swung in churches where families sought sanctuary. Bodies floated down rivers in such numbers that downstream communities had to push them away from water intake pipes. Nearly one million people were slaughtered while the international community debated terminology and troop costs. This wasn't spontaneous tribal violence-it was a meticulously planned genocide that succeeded because those with the power to stop it simply chose not to. What makes this horror even more chilling is how preventable it was. Every warning sign flashed red. Every alarm bell rang. Yet the machinery of extermination rolled forward, lubricated by international indifference and calculated political cowardice. The question that haunts us isn't whether the world knew what was happening-we knew. The question is whether we cared enough to act when action could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
Engineering Hatred: From Colonial Categories to Manufactured Division
The Architecture of Annihilation: Planning Industrial-Scale Murder
Broadcasting Death: How Hate Speech Became Operational Command
The Peacekeeper's Impossible Mission and Ignored Warnings
One Hundred Days of Hell and Calculated Abandonment
What We Choose to Remember and the Cost of Indifference
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From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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