Canadian Hit Finds U.S. Home
by John F. Baker -- Publishers Weekly, 6/21/2004
A book by Gen. Romeo Allaire about his experiences as a U.N. commander who failed to save thousands of Rwandans from genocidal attack in the 1994 massacres there, is a big success in Canada. Allaire and his book, Shake Hands with the Devil, both won awards at the BookExpo Canada show last week, and Devil has now been bought for publication here. Philip Turner at Carroll & Graf picked up U.S. rights to what he calls "a uniquely powerful book" from Jennifer Shepherd at Random House Canada. Allaire's harrowing account is bitterly critical of the U.N. and its members for not responding more vigorously to the Rwandan horrors; after his return home, the general suffered a public breakdown that almost led to suicide. The agent who made the original sale is Bruce Westwood at his Toronto agency, Westwood Creative; Turner will publish here next January.
