A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope, and a Restaurant in Rwanda (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780316232913)

One couple's inspiring memoir of healing a Rwandan village, raising a family near the old killing fields, and building a restaurant named Heaven.

Newlyweds Josh and Alissa were at a party and received a challenge that shook them to the core: do you think you can really make a difference? Especially in a place like Rwanda, where the scars of genocide linger and poverty is rampant?

While Josh worked hard bringing food and health care to the country's rural villages, Alissa was determined to put their foodie expertise to work. The couple opened Heaven, a gourmet restaurant overlooking Kigali, which became an instant success. Remarkably, they found that between helping youth marry their own local ingredients with gourmet recipes (and mix up "the best guacamole in Africa") and teaching them how to help themselves, they created much-needed jobs while showing that genocide's survivors really could work together.

While first a memoir of love, adventure, and family, A Thousand Hills to Heaven also provides a remarkable view of how, through health, jobs, and economic growth, our foreign aid programs can be quickly remodeled and work to end poverty worldwide.

Author: Josh Ruxin
ISBN-10: 0316232912
ISBN-13: 9780316232913
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Language: English
Published: 11/05/2013
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.30d
Award: Nautilus Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 08/26/2013
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2013
New York Times Book Review 12/08/2013 pg. 48