Waiting for the Sunrise

Waiting for the Sunrise: One Family’s Struggle against Genocide and Racism gives a personal account of one family’s experience through the horror of the civil war that plagued Rwanda in 1994. Raised in the American Midwest, author Elizabeth Gatorano had little idea of the trials she would soon face after she married Phanuel, an immigrant to the United States from Rwanda.

In 1994, when fighting broke out in Phanuel’s home country, both Liz and Phanuel worked diligently to bring as many members of his family to safety as they could. However, the harrowing rescue of Phanuel’s family from the horrors of civil war and genocide were only the beginning of this frightening story. Faced with the many challenges of building a new life, Phanuel’s family struggled to adjust to life in the United States. Hope soon gave way to the prejudices that Phanuel’s family brought with them from Rwanda, and Liz and Phanuel often found themselves the targets of suspicion and hate. Through these ordeals, Liz and Phanuel recognized the importance of meeting hostility with love and patience. Together they learned the value and strength of family.