Book Description
There Is No Me Without You is the story of Haregewoin Tefarra, a middle-aged Ethiopian woman of modest means whose home has become a refuge for hundreds of children orphaned by AIDS. It is a story as much about the power of the bond between children and parents as about the epidemic that every year leaves millions of children, mostly healthy themselves, without family. Originally a middle-class woman with a happy family life, Haregewoin fell into a deep depression after the death of her recently married daughter. But then a priest brought her two children, AIDS orphans, with nowhere to go. Unexpectedly, the children thrived, and Haregewoin found herself drawn back into daily life. As word got out, an endless stream of children began to arrive at her door, delivered by dying parents and other relatives who begged for her help, and, pushing against the limits of her home and bank account, she took more and more in. Today, Haregewoin runs a school, a daycare system, and a shelter for sick mothers. Without medication for her charges—some HIV-positive, some uninfected, and some infants trying to fight off the virus, but almost all of whom come to her terrified and malnourished—she forges on, caring for as many as she can handle. Increasingly, she also places them for adoption with families like that of journalist Melissa Fay Greene, who has two children adopted from Ethiopia. In Haregewoin Tefarra’s story, Greene gives us an astonishing portrait of a woman fighting a continent-wide epidemic.
Customer Reviews:
Opening our eyes to global needs.......2007-06-30
Melissa Fay Greene has the gift of story telling. The book beckons the reader to think beyond themselves and consider what contribution they may make to the cause of the orphan/Aids in Africa. Thank you Ms. Greene for inviting us on the journey...for educating us on real life on the other side of the globe...for jolting us out of our comfort and compelling us to action. One would need to have a heart of stone not to be moved by this powerful story!
awesome, informative book.......2007-06-09
I am so thrilled that I spent time reading this book. I loved it. This is a well written, informative book. I enjoyed the writing style as it moved through factual historical perspectives to the story of one women making a difference. Take time to read...you will be happy you did!
Moving, informative, gripping picture of humanity in Ethiopia.......2007-05-29
This is the best book I have read in some time. It is meticulously researched, insightful, and explains difficult technical issues clearly. It is gripping in its description of the plight of AIDS orphans and the incredible poverty of Ethiopia. But it is particularly special in the even-handed description of Haregewoin, not as a saint, thought she has given of herself like one, but as a flawed human (as we are all flawed) who has accomplished incredible good at a time when doing so put herself in great jeopardy in her society. This book is a great accomplishment by an accomplished author. I hope she receives the National Book Award for this one!
inspiring book.......2007-05-27
I loved this book! If you want to learn about Ethiopia, the AIDS crisis there, or if you want to be inspired by a true hero, read this book.
A must-read for the globally minded!.......2007-05-25
Sometimes it is difficult to break out our own local environment to learn more about important events are taking place around the world. Melissa Fay Greene's book, "There Is No Me Without You," allows even the most superficial of us to learn about the AIDS crisis in Africa and begin taking steps to help support a solution to the social problems plaguing that continent. I was familiar with the AIDS crisis in Africa but was horrified to learn about the lack of available pharmaceuticals for treatment of HIV-positive adults and children. It was truly an eye-opener to hear about the gross (for lack of a better word) profits made by drug companies producing these medicines and then the reluctance of those same companies to allow these treatments to be shared with the sick and dying.I was appalled.
I would highly recommend this book. After finishing "There Is No Me Without You," I researched the websites in the back of the book and found it was possible to directly donate to AHOPE. Interested individuals can even sponsor an orphan for as little as $30 a month. I easily spend more than that on books every month.
I was inspired, enlightened, motivated and educated by this book. Thank you Melissa for writing about these wonderful people and sharing their stories with us.
Kathy Morones, Long Beach, CA
Amazon.com
What did Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley and Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia have in common? A love for the Kebra Negast, holy book of Ethiopian Christians and Jamaican Rastafarians. Contemporary scholars date the Kebra Negast to the 14th century, but it retells the stories of much earlier Biblical times, one very important story in particular. According to the Kebra Negast, the Israelites' Ark of the Covenant was spirited away to the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia by wise King Solomon's own son, offspring of the union between Solomon and the exotic Queen Makeda of Ethiopia (a.k.a. the Queen of Sheba). Gerald Hausman, a consummate storyteller of native traditions, presents the core narrative of the Kebra Negast, from Adam to the rise of the Ethiopian Solomonid dynasty. On top of this, he injects his own encounters with Rastafarians during his travels in Jamaica--dreadlocked Rastas as modern-day Samsons, their unwavering faith in Jah, and a rare outsider's glimpse at the Nyabinghi ceremony. The combination of ancient tale and modern belief give Hausman's Kebra Negast the rich flavor of enduring truth. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith from Ethiopia and Jamaica.
Customer Reviews:
VERY INSPIRATIONAL!.......2006-07-12
This book is an excellent read. I did not want to put down. It explained alot of what I felt was a bit unexplained in the bible. I have not finished the book yet but i Highly recommend it.
Decent Buy.......2006-05-05
I got this book a while back. It's a very nice book if you have a bad attention span, and you need what your reading to be simple. If your looking for the in depth historical version, then this probably won't be the book for you, but if you're looking for a real good Light reading, then this might be a good purchase.
A must read.......2002-06-04
The Kebra Negast is a must read for anyone on the path of black consciousness and understanding the truth of our place in the Bible. Reading the Kebra Negast really helped me understand Rastafari, I hate that I completed the book I wanted more. I wished women played a larger role and that the interpretation of doing God's will was a bit less damning like in all religions.
Let the reader beware.......2001-09-13
This version is not to be confused with the classic text of Ethiopian religion/mythology of the same name. This version contains excerpts from the classical ancient text and combines it with anecdotes and sayings of rasafarianism, which is itself a recent concept dating back to the days of Selassie's coronation in 1930 (another story altogther). Basically, this version tries to connect the classic text with modern rastafarianism. If you're interested in rastafarianism, you can go ahead with this. But if you're interested in an English translation of the actual Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings), see the E.A. Wallace Budge translation or the Miguel Brooks translation.
Interesting read.......2001-04-21
My husband bought this right after he heard about it. He is heavily into Rastafarianism and wanted to check it out. He read the book in two days and has since lent it to several friends. If you are into this kind of stuff, it offers a lot of info on the culture and outlook.
Amazon.com
Few men have made as outstanding contributions to their country's cause as Orde Wingate, yet few have divided opinion so completely. "We don't want any more Wingates in the British Army," says an Army Council minute written after the end of the Second World War, and after his death. In contrast, no less than Winston Churchill himself said, before the House of Commons, "There was a man of genius, who might well have become a man of destiny."
John Bierman and Colin Smith's enlightening and rigorous biography of this brilliant man amply demonstrates how the conservative establishment of the British Army could come to adopt such an ungracious attitude to one of their most dynamic sons, who contributed so much to the war effort with dazzling performances in Abyssinia and Burma, and so much to future strategic thinking with his bold formulation of new methods. He ruffled feathers with his uncompromising style, unconventional thinking, and eccentric nature (perhaps most memorably expressed in his unaffected penchant for receiving visitors in the nude). Together with an acute intelligence and great breadth of learning, Wingate was a man possessed of awe-inspiring will and single-minded application, and he was often seen flying into a rage when things were not done as he thought they should be. Many, regardless of rank, felt the lash of his tongue. His almost fanatical commitment to the cause of Zionism, a highly sensitive and ambivalent political hot potato for the British at the time, seems also to have rankled many who simply could not understand a man so unlike the typical public-school-educated officer. Although not Jewish himself, to this day he is widely honored in Israel. Zvi Brenner, his Jewish bodyguard in Palestine before the war when he was commanding the Special Night Squads, elegantly encapsulated the man when, in describing Wingate's uncanny ability to negotiate all terrain in darkness, he said, "Wingate didn't follow any paths but walked in straight lines." A truly exceptional man; there is, unfortunately, little chance of the British Army's having any more Wingates. --Alisdair Bowles, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
Winston Churchill thought he was a military genius; others considered him greatly overrated; a few even thought him mad. Almost sixty years after his death at age forty-four in an airplane crash, Orde Wingate remains perhaps the most controversial of all World War II commanders.
Born into a fundamentalist Christian sect and raised in the Cromwellian tradition of Sword and Bible, Wingate was an odd mixture of religious mystic and idealist, combining an unshakable belief in an Old Testament God with an insatiable interest in music, literature, history, philosophy, and the politics of his day.
But his overriding and enduring passion was for Zionism, a cause that--although he had no Jewish blood--he embraced when posted to British-ruled Palestine in 1936. There he raised the Special Night Squads, an irregular force that decimated Arab rebel bands and taught a future generation of Israeli generals how to fight.
In 1941, Wingate led another guerrilla-style force, this time into Italian-occupied Ethiopia, where he was instrumental in restoring Emperor Haile Selassie to his throne. But the campaign that was to bring him world fame was conducted behind enemy lines in Burma, where his Chindits shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility in jungle fighting, giving Allied morale a much-needed boost at a crucial point in World War II.
Throughout his career, Wingate's unconventionality and disdain for the superiors he dismissed as "military apes" marked him as a difficult if not impossible subordinate. He was that, but also, as this vigorous new study reveals, an inspiring leader.
Customer Reviews:
"ORDE WINGATE: IRREGULAR SOLDIER"-book by Trevor Royle.......2007-05-27
My mother thought Orde reminded her of Stonewall Jackson of American Civil war fame. There are many similarities between the two, but I think Trevor Royle's book title nails his character right on the head. Both Jackson and Wingate were average military scholars, but brilliant field commanders. They had no equal on the field in terms of battle tactics. Both were deeply religious, both eccentric, though in very different ways. Both were Gideons of the supreme, heavenly order. I am convinced if Stonewall were alive today, he would be an ardent zionist as Orde became when his command led him to palestine in pre-WWII years. Orde's first assignment was in the Sudan where he became fluent in Arabic. His Hebrew which he tried to learn was terrible according to Moshe Dayan. His few days in palestine, however, bore much fruit in that he taught the jews of palestine tactics which would help transform the IDF into the amazing fighting force today and which served them extremely well in the immediate days and years following.
Orde's success in restoring the Ethiopian empire to Haile Selassie was definitely Stonewallian. How he routed the entire Italian fascist force residing in Ethiopia with a small force was little short of miraculous.
I don't think Stonewall was as outspoken as Orde and was a bit surprised at how Orde got by with some of his very strong opinions which he was not afraid to voice. That for me was the biggest contrast between the two.
Most important, I think, about Wingate was what he had accomplished in the jungles of the far east where he died in a tragic aviation accident during WWII.
This book was thoroughly enjoyable, is well written, but I defer to the better judgement of one of my favorite Amazon friends and recommend Royle's book as being most accurate as to Orde's views of the jews and palestine. This book was a good prelude to me, a good introduction into the life and character of this most remarkable of British soldiers, Orde Wingate.
Gifted, Offbeat But Marginal Hero.......2007-04-28
Like Lawrence of Arabia, Orde Wingate is a perennially fascinating figure of the later British Empire and era of World Wars I and II. Unlike Lawrence, Wingate was not a literary artist who immortalized his own career, so we rely on biographies to understand him. This work is thorough if not definitive, using a wide array of sources to describe his military/political adventures in Palestine, Ethiopia, and finally Burma where his long-range penetration strategy was most publicized and problematic, but at least partly successful. Such a forceful, idiosyncratic figure will always stimulate controversy, and the authors explore the disagreements well enough, though they cannot satisfy all readers. Why marginal? Wingate's and Lawrence's successes, and failures, occurred in peripheral theaters of both wars. Scholars debate whether such operations significantly influenced the outcome of campaigns in Africa, Southwest and Southeast Asia, or primarily served to expand or protect the Empire. But major (and costly) sea, air and especially land campaigns were essential to winning world wars; the character of 20th century total war effectively marginalized the efforts and the theaters where romantic individualists fought, though they remain dashing, compelling figures. "Fire in the Night" is exciting and deserves 4-5 stars taken on its own terms, but excess attention given to special ops ultimately obscures the nature of Allied triumphs. A. Mockler, "Haile Selassie's War" narrates the 1935-41 Ethiopian conflict. In "Defeat Into Victory" William Slim recounts the inspiring reconquest of Burma, with pointed critiques but general praise for his difficult subordinate. (The authors seem overly hard on Slim in this respect.) J. Nunneley, "Tales from the King's African Rifles" captures well the brutal, unglamorous experience of most Burma veterans.
incomplete portrait of a complex figure.......2004-07-22
Like many sources, this book praises wingate without enough
careful examination of his flaws. The book focuses mostly
on three chapters in Wingate's life. It starts with his
service in palestine in 1936.
Driven by religious fanaticism and his contempt for what
he saw as uncivilized peoples (arabs or any non-europeans
really), he attached himself to Zionism and zionist politicians.
In the process he exceeded or ignored his orders, then after
politically compromised himself in open alliance with zionist
groups to a point where he could not possibly serve there.
His great "vision" for the region was for a "sub-empire"
with Zionists serving as a sort of spartan military elite
to subdue and westernize those considered lesser humans. All
as part of some sort of twisted fanatical vision of christianity.
After having been booted out of Palestine, he eventually ended
up in Ethiopia where he again ignored his orders. His goal
this time was to force a royal government on Ethiopia regardless
of what anyone else thought and in spite of serious reservations
on the part of politicians and his superiors. His campaign
was a wonderful "boys adventure" sort of a affair, but in the
end it was army won the campaign. Wingate's great accomplishment
was saddling Ethiopia with an unstable and territorially
aggressive monarchy that eventually collapsed in a bloodbath
in the 1970s.
After, he went into open revolt against the entire leadership
of the army in the area. He openly insulted them and held them
in utter contempt. In his mind, though he had never held
a position of high responsiblity in the army, he saw himself
as being some sort of grand illustrious figure. And when
his campaign of alination, insults and personal attacks failed
to get him recognition, he attempted suicide. Contrary to the
book, his megolmania and self-destructive behavior would indicate
someone with serious problems rather than a great leader.
He was rescued from career oblivion by a friend in India. He
was sent into Burma in 1942 to see what could be done in the
way of irregular warfare. For all his bluster, he did nothing.
And beyond that, while other men were suffering and dying
on the march back to India, Wingate arranged to be flown out.
Back in India, he was given a brigade to test out his theories
with. He whined about what he was given in terms of men. He
only wanted british soldiers. He threw the men into jungle
camps during the monsoon with the idea that by inflicting the
maximum amount of suffering and disease, that british men
who had his opinion been weakened by access to health care
and doctors in britain would be made strong again. When the
casualty rate reached over 50%, he moved the men into regular
housing and they recovered. The book presents the self-serving
fiction that the casulaty rate declined due to weeding out
"bad men" when in reality it only improved because the monsoon
ended and the worst of the camps was abandoned.
Wingate's first mission into Burma served no real purpose. It
was originally to be part of a broader plan, but when the
broader plan was cancelled, wingate demanded that the operation
go ahead anyway as a training exercise. He led the men into
Burma, put a railway out of operation for a few weeks and
then led his men deep into Burma where they accomplished nothing.
Eventually, Wingate executed one of his brilliant strategies
to solve the situation. He broke up his command and effectively
gave the order every man for himself. The force or more
properly what survived of the force returned in small parties
to India.
Once back, Wingate ignored his men in favor of launching a
press and publicity campaign on his achivements. He wrote
a self-serving account of operations and when his commanders
raised objects to it, he arranged for a copy to be given
directly to Churchill and the cabinet. Wingate decided to
bypass the entire army and come under the patronage of
politicians. The politicans heard about the brilliant victory,
but they did not hear about the officer running naked in the
jungle or of the man who believed bringing back flogging was
necessary for real dicipline.
When he returned to India in the fall of 1943, he fell ill
because he had recklessly drank contaminated water in north
africa on the way back. He had been given a blank cheque
for any resources he wanted for operations in Burma.
However, due to a combination of him being out of the country
and ill, his operational role in developing the second chindit
force wasn't very large. Eventually, an plan was thrown
together for operations in 1944. Rather than being an evolution
of his supposed theories, it mostly involved a new idea of
fighting a special operations war with a division-sized formation
operating from large bases in enemy controlled territory.
Wingate died early on during the operation so its impossible to
know what would have been the result if he had lived. However,
the only other time his 1944 strategy was used was by the
French in Vietnam where it led to total disaster.
Wingate has a number of followers. Obviously, Israelis are
greatful for the help he provided in forming what eventually
became their army. There are also those who, like wingate,
who see the british army as a failed institution and somehow
see innovation in the form of a man who cut his own throat,
ran around naked in camp, wanted to bring back flogging and
credited broader access to good health care in civilian life
as being responsible for weakening the british soldier.
A good work on Wingate has to deal with the positive aspects
and the negative ones. Too many draw a one-sided portrait
(including this one) while sweeping the not so nice parts of
the story under the rug.
NOT THE STANDARD WARRIOR GENTLEMAN.......2004-03-18
Having been brought up on stories from my early years about the brave and often forgotten exploits of the Chindits I was very enthused to tuck into this book. Orde Wingate has been the hero of many, not so much because he was a military successful warrior, but because he was wildly unconventional at a time when staid ethics and methods of war were leading to defeats of the western allies on all fronts.
A fierce Old Testament fear and learning of the bible bread in what would now be called a fundementalist christian family, he blended this with [...] eccentricities like, indifference to appearing nude before his collegues and newspapermen, a complete indifference to British Monarchy and the hierarchical class-bound society and way of thinking. An appreciator of new ideas and probably quite to the left of many of his superiors, he had no hestation in punishing and physically striking his recruits (no matter their colour), and could kill the enemy mercilessly, or order large groups knowingly to their death without a blink.
Wingate pioneered unconventional warfare with his notion that large unit groups can function in the rear of the enemy for long periods of time if they were self-sufficient and well trained. He eschewed the entire idea of "special forces" as they are often called nowadays. In the end I do not think that he squared the circle large unit action and special forces --- he wanted both and got really neither. His tactics worked rather well against the Italians (but that was no surprise he realised), but they were problematic against the Japanese. The first operation, "Long Cloth" was an unmitigated disaster, with enough adventures from its many participants to fill an entire library (they still make some of the most heart thumping reads available). The entire operation broke down and became in some cases, every man for himself. Wingate himself giving the order.
His second operation was more problematic. No doubt these operations had significant effect on the enemy and no doubt were very helpful in the taking of Myikyena and Mogang, but I really think that 14th Army would have rolled up the Japanese flank nicely anyway, as they did and win the Battle of Burma with overwhelming firepower and troops as well unmitigated air superiority.
In the end the Japanese in Burma were beaten by traditional large unit engagements.
That is not a defeat of the ideas of Orde Wingate, nor do they negate the incredible bravery of the men who served with him. What it does DO however is to put to rest the idea that Orde Wingate was a purveyor of "Truth" -- his ideas were worthy, but they were not the be-all end-all of jungle combat. His developments were prodigeous and his personal bravery never in doubt. But I think that, like Moses, he got involved too much in fanatical devotion to one idea and was willing to sacrifice a lot for an idea. In the case of Moses, his people --- in the case of Wingate, it was often his own troops.
This books admirably chronicles the multifacted nature of Wingate. It is factual and comes across as neutral as possible, often citing critical sources and those men (also of incredible courage) that did not fall under his spell.
The narrative is tight and WELL EDITED. Unlike your regular 1000 page biography Smith and Beirman are able to deal with the subject adequately in 400 pages with nothing substantive missing. Also there is just enough detail of almost all of his life. The final 150 pages deals with the Burma campaign the authors are very skillful in their use of detail. They include all of the crucial elements necessary of his many campaigns.
I found the book to be a very admirable read. I think that it only deepened the questions I have about Wingate --- was he a daring experimenter or a madman? --- I think that one can add, bitterly-troubled person to the heap of other appelations surrounding this man.
I still ask myself, if this man were my commander would I succumb and become a convert? Would I stand aloof and protest that something is terribly wrong? I do not know, and cannot judge because I was not born at the time these events transpired. I was not a part of this great crusade, the glory they gained or the horrors they endured.
Extraordinary story of a unique person.......2004-02-25
This is actually three wonderful stories in one. Beginning with a short introduction of the `early years' the book quickly opens with Wingate in 1936 Palestine/Zion where is quickly discovers the passion that he will keep for the rest of his life, namely Zionism. Wingate, witnessing the anti-Semitic nature of the British officer corps, gravitates towards the Zionists due to his penchant for sticking out and backing underdog causes. This book tells the riveting story of Wingate's training and arming of the famous `night squads' which became the backbone of the Palmach who eventually led Israel to victory in the 1948 war.
The second story is the story of Wingate in Africa. Exiled to Africa because of his deep connections to the Zionists Wingate once again latches onto a new cause, the 1941 liberation of Ethiopia, which had been the last free African state before the Italians invaded it.
The third story is where Wingate once again shined, namely in Burma leading the Chindits who operated behind enemy lines fighting the Japanese. Once again Wingate's penchant for native causes and brilliant ability to adapt unorthodox fighting techniques helped prepare the way for British victory. Churchill called Wingate a genius and when you read this book you will wholeheartedly agree, this is truly the story of the man who was the `fire in the night' when the world was becoming dark with fascism.
Seth J. Frantzman
Average customer rating:
- Ethiopia: Peoples of the Omo Valley
- Superb!
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Ethiopia: Peoples of the Omo Valley
Hans Silvester
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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Vanishing Africa: A Photographer's Journey
ASIN: 0810993260 |
Book Description
In this ambitious work, Hans Silvester turns his photographic eye toward ancient Africa, the birthplace of humanity. Silvester was essentially adopted by his subjects during his travels, and his stunning color photographs present a rare, intimate view of their world.
The first volume of this deluxe two-volume set presents the everyday lives of the Omo people, their rituals, parades, childrenÂ's games, and even their battles. In the second volume, each photograph becomes a masterpiece of abstract art, revealing close-ups of the tribesÂ' traditional body paintings. SilvesterÂ's accompanying text traces his journey to the Horn of Africa, revealing the fascinating beauty of a world now in danger of extinction.
Customer Reviews:
Ethiopia: Peoples of the Omo Valley.......2007-09-09
This is a best vision of the people of the Omo Valley.
Ethiopia is a anknow contry with marvellous people.
Superb!.......2007-04-09
I hated to shell out the big bucks, but I've hit rock bottom and I admit I'm a junkie for books on places where I've been in tribal Africa. So I had to do it--and I'm glad I did.
It's hard to imagine having any books at all on tribal life anywhere in the world and not have this two-volume set. The photography and its richness of color as printed on the page just can't be topped. Is it just me, or are more people "discovering" the Omo Valley these days? It's in southern Ethiopia, where people still live much as they have for centuries--they still compete against nature for sustenance, tribes still fight each other for grazing land, women still wear goat skins and the men of some tribes still consider the most minimal of clothing optional. It is one of the few places in the world where tribal attire and body painting is the real, every-day thing--not something put on for tourists. Silvester represents it well in this set. And unlike so many coffee table books, in which any kind of meaningful narrative is catch as catch can, Silvester's narrative is informative and engaging--more anecdotal than a scholarly treatise.
Good news: no thumbnails in the back, where you have to go for captions. Captions are with the pictures, but I wish more of the pictures were captioned.
I was apprehensive about the second volume. The editorial review can be interpreted as meaning photos of the body paintings have been turned into abstract art. I didn't really want to pay for something like that. But again, I wasn't disappointed. The second volume is just photos, not photos reworked into abstract art. The art on their bodies already is abstract art. I swear, I have seen far less impressive paintings hanging in art galleries, commanding many thousands of dollars! Page after page, you will say aloud, "This is amazing!"
Some will hate Silvester's work. As we've seen in other reviews of books covering tribal Africa, there will always be some who seem embarrassed by all the nudity. They will angrily denounce such books as somehow "false," claiming such Africa no longer exists. Weird wishful thinking, I suppose, probably having something to do with internalized racism. This 2-volume set, then, is not for them. This photographer does not select for publication only those shots where an elbow or a leaf just happens to shield the viewer from prudish sensitivities. And that gives you a sense of honesty about the work. You don't feel manipulated as you might if you felt the photographer had an agenda or was trying to be gentle with you. You don't have a vague sense of wondering what else he doesn't want you to know.
The lives and culture of the Omo Valley peoples are so different from ours in the West that we can find them shocking at first take. Sylvester addresses this. "When you see how these people live, you can't help asking: 'What is a savage?' What do we understand by the term 'primitive'?" I wouldn't have used the word "savage," not even in the context of the question, because it might imply the people really are more or less savage unless granted some kind of special, sympathetic interpretation of the depiction. I would not want to remotely suggest they could be seen as "savage." (Perhaps the translation from Silvester's German wasn't the best in this instance.) In any case, once you spend time with these people--in his case, I think it was 9 trips over 3 years--the mystery and the oddities quickly become not so odd or mysterious. Should the photographer, then, produce a work that carefully considers Western unfamiliarity and shock, or a work that caters more to authenticity? He goes for the authentic.
Check out Giansanti's work, and Beckwith & Fisher. Those are great too. But don't come up short without this one, either. It will take you on a wonderful, close-up journey into the harsh but beautiful land, and the hard but beautiful lives of the people of the Omo Valley.
Book Description
Winner of the Governor General's Award
A Library Journal Best Book of 2001
Part autobiography and part social history, Notes from the Hyena's Belly offers an unforgettable portrait of Ethiopia, and of Africa, during the 1970s and '80s, an era of civil war, widespread famine, and mass execution. "We children lived like the donkey," Mezlekia remembers, "careful not to wander off the beaten trail and end up in the hyena's belly." His memoir sheds light not only on the violence and disorder that beset his native country, but on the rich spiritual and cultural life of Ethiopia itself. Throughout, he portrays the careful divisions in dress, language, and culture between the Muslims and Christians of the Ethiopian landscape. Mezlekia also explores the struggle between western European interests and communist influences that caused the collapse of Ethiopia's social and political structure—and that forced him, at age 18, to join a guerrilla army. Through droughts, floods, imprisonment, and killing sprees at the hands of military juntas, Mezlekia survived, eventually emigrating to Canada. In Notes from the Hyena's Belly he bears witness to a time and place that few Westerners have understood.
Customer Reviews:
Notes on Notes.......2007-03-27
An enlightening story of a boy growing up in Ethiopia. A world that we Americans cannot relate to, however we certainly are sympathetic. Still, Mezlekia spares us by sprinkling a little humor here and there, and we see that young boys do find time to be a little mischievous even in the worst of situations, like straying too far and being eaten by hyenas. Visited Ethiopia with my wife in the late 80's and witnessed some of the famine and suffering, but also found the people gracious and hospitable to Westerners. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.
James Hart Isley
Author of The Bear Hunter
A Very Enjoyable Read.......2007-03-27
Why I enjoyed Notes from the Hyena's Belly? The writing, the wisdom, the history, the survival. If you enjoy having a narrarator walk you through a book showing you the real people, places and happenings that were "Once Upon A Time," then you may just find this book to be a treasure. I myself enjoyed the way this author held my inner voice's attention. It was almost as if I were sitting at his home while he spoke of the life experiences that make him the person now sitting before me. Because I'm such an avid reader, I did put this book down a few times to indulge in other reads. I did this knowing that when I'd pick it back up I'd have a great companion to spend time with. I almost hated to see the book conclude. The fact that I'm writing only my second or third amazon review says how much I enjoyed this read. Hope you decide to visit the Hyena's Belly. You won't be disappointed.
Ethiopia and the Dergue.......2007-02-17
My family spent 23 months in Ethiopia during my active duty military service, in a home just a block off the road from His Imperial Majesty's (Haile Selassie I) palace and the Bole airport in Addis Ababa. That was from February of 1970 until January of 1972. The American community was concerned about the stability of the government there when the Emperor would eventually go the way of all mankind. HIM HSI died after we left, probably suffocated by the new rulers after the Dergue took over the country . Many of us wondered what has happened during the intervening years. This book tells the story from the memories of one student who lived and suffered through those perilous times. It's very interesting to anyone who ever lived there, and appears authentic.
When even the hyenas stopped laughing.......2006-08-29
Nega Mezlekia was unlucky enough to be born in Ethiopia in 1958, so that he was a teenager when Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown and murdered. A new regime, guaranteeing change for the poor, feudal rural masses, came to power. In the grim years that followed, Ethiopia ate its own children at a terrible rate. They died in civil wars, in political repression, and in an international war with Somalia. Later, at least in the cities, there was a period of terror in which 100 to 200 youths a day were being killed on the streets of Addis Ababa, with no trial, no accusations, nothing. Perhaps 100,000 people died in this time. Finally, a ghastly famine, seen on televisions around the world, claimed thousands more lives. From a generally innocent childhood, Mezlekia moved into a youth of horror after horror, barely escaping with his life time after time. Revolutionaries executed his father, Somali guerrillas killed his mother, his best friend died as a rebel; death crashed all around him for years. Somehow, Mezlekia survived to become a university lecturer in the provinces, then at last to go abroad to study, first in the Netherlands, then in Canada. He did not return. The story, related in this book, is a gripping one, well-told, with many touches of magical realism and tellings of Ethiopian folk tales to help readers understand the grim dreadfulness of those times.
Having recently read Pascal Khoo Thwe's "From the Land of Green Ghosts" about Burma, I was struck by the comparison. Both men came from small places in countries suffering from despotic rule, corruption, and poverty, but had generally enjoyable childhoods. Both wound up joining armed opposition, surviving many dangers, and at last escaping to the West and a university career. Khoo Thwe's book is lyrical and extremely frank, while Mezlekia has a wonderful sense of irony and dark humor. Though an engineer, he is pretty loose with distances, ages, etc. (well, who cares about numbers when you are writing magical realism ?) and many political questions about his past remain unexplained. But am I some kind of examiner ? I accepted NOTES FROM THE HYENA'S BELLY as a very accurate and devastating picture of what was going on in Ethiopia in the `60s and `70s. Both Khoo Thwe and Mezlekia have written rare accounts of what millions of people around the world experience, so far from the daily reality of those of us fortunate enough to live in peaceful, wealthy nations. That they survived at all is amazing, that they could write their stories in English is even more impressive, and they write so well. For anyone who wants to know what Ethiopians have lived through, or where they have come from, this book is a must. The customs, religion, and daily life of an Ethiopian are not often encountered in literature. Mezlekia does a great job illustrating them. Finally, for a glimpse of the irrepressible human spirit, you could do a lot worse than read Mezlekia's story.
Notes That Matter.......2004-06-23
This book is full of meaning, often insightful and completely unforgettable it is written with candor and wit despite its serious edges.
Nega Mezlekia has written a memoir about his boyhood growing up in Ethiopia during the fall of Emperor Selassie. He experiences all of the curious playful things that all boys are reared with yet he also discusses the harshness of the environment during the rise of Junta communism in which thousands of young people were ruthlessly slaughtered. He writes on page 183, "Apathy in the face of continual violence is something someone who has never lived through a war cannot understand......People simply gathered about themselves, like rags, what life there was left, deafened and inured to the inevitability of death." Although Mezlekia has many horrible atrocities to write about this is not all he adheres to. At times this memoir is very witty and I laughed out loud several times imagining some of his shenanigans. His adventures with medicine men and native cures is hilarious as well as his attempt to capture the loose cattle in his village with pepper.
I am always impressed with the attitude of Africans who survive the atrocities they have faced in their home countries. Their spirit and survivalist hearts seem to always prevail despite the horrible circumstances they are often forced to endure. Mezlekia managed to escape his country at possibly its worst moments, not without heartache, not without suffering, but with a true gift as a storyteller. I would recommend this memoir to everyone interested in a great true tale but especially to those concerned with the plights of our fellow human beings who suffer so gracefully for their native lands.
Average customer rating:
- loved it!
- Abridged version
- The Seventh Scroll
- Continues the fun with Taita - only present day
- Smith's success
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The Seventh Scroll
Wilbur A. Smith
Manufacturer: St Martins Pr
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Customer Reviews:
loved it!.......2007-07-26
I loved river god, my favorite book ever...and i have to say though i was skeptical about reading this one (thinking it would surely be a disappointment since it was not dealing with our original characters) i must admit, it was really quite captivating and very very good. I loved feeling as if i was somehow in the know having read River God and being ever so slightly two steps ahead of the characters in the story, while unsure what would happen next! But I was really glad i finally did read this book, and i am intending to read warlock too as soon as i can!
Abridged version.......2007-03-09
Description does not state Abridged or Unabridged. Be warned this is the Abridged version.
The Seventh Scroll.......2006-11-10
Because of uniqueness of this novel, please read the River of God and the sequel before enjoying the Seventh Scroll... hope you are enjoying these three books as much as I did!
Continues the fun with Taita - only present day.......2006-02-23
I am a big fan of Smith's River God, Seventh Scroll, and Warlock.
The Seventh Scroll is the sequel to River God, and deals with modern day historian/archeologists who discover scrolls written by our hero Taita, who was a beloved friend/advisor of Queen Lostris in ancient Egypt.
Deciphering Taita's code brings us firmly back to Taita's world and wit and cunning - The modern characters stand up to the ancient characters, and as all Smith works, leaves you wanting for more.
The next sequel in this series is Warlock. Hopefully there will be more novels with Taita...
Smith's success.......2005-12-10
Aside from the fact that I have not yet finished "The Seventh Scroll", I can justifiably say Smith's style of writing is the epitome of superb English. His selective diction & distinct atmosphere compliments the scintillating plot which makes "The Seventh Scroll" one of the most worthwhile novels I have ever read. Good Job!
[Dom Doyle - IRELAND]
Average customer rating:
- Communicatinig in Ethiopia
- Excellent Book
- Amharic usefulness depends on where you are
- Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook
- Completely Useless!
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Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook
Tilahun Kebede , and
Catherine Snow
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
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Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Eritrea (Lonely Planet Ethiopia and Eritrea)
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Notes from the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood
ASIN: 174059133X |
Book Description
Voices woven through staccato rhythms lead you to a narrow alley. Laughter flows from beneath a door. It opens to a kaleidoscope of sound and colour, led by an azmari singing a song of invitation. A waiter smiles as you glance in the book — you order a bira and some ocholoni. The day had started with a mountain top view of the Blue Nile and now the vibrant city nightlife takes you in…
- new pronunciation guide and Amharic script
- expanded dictionary with over 1000 words
- grammar essentials for building your own sentences
- cultural information and basic travel tips
- phrases for every traveller
Customer Reviews:
Communicatinig in Ethiopia.......2007-09-18
This is a helpful phrasebook, usable without any previous knowledge of Amharic. As I am not a native English speaker, I appreciate the way the sounds used are described in the beginning of the book. It is well organized, with different, logical, chapters; i.e. the possibility to find the phrase I am looking for in the chapter where I think it should be is high. The dictionary part is short (as it of course has to be), and I really miss "please" as a word in the dictionary.
Excellent Book.......2007-04-14
I'm married to an Ethiopian and have found this book to be a lifesaver each and every time I go to Ethiopia. The book gets you close enough to the correct pronunciation that anyone can half way understand you and correct your pronunciation of the words. Although Tigrinyan's are now in power Amharic is still the national language of Ethiopia so it's better to learn Amharic if you plan on speaking to anyone in Ethiopia.
Amharic usefulness depends on where you are.......2006-03-16
Actually I didn't use the book very much, as my surroundings were almost all English or Oromo-speaking. Before spending much time on a learning a language to use in Ethiopia, be sure to check out the location. Since the Amhara's are no longer the dominant tribe, their language may be less useful. Tigrayans are now in power and Oromo are the largest language group.
Lonely Planet Ethiopian Amharic Phrasebook .......2005-11-24
This book is excellent! I don't understand some of the reviews.
It is a rare book that promotes Ethiopia and its culture. It is intended for foreign travellers to Ethiopia and not for Ethiopians who live abroad. I have travelled to Ethiopia with this book and found it very useful. I don't know what I would have done without it. I found the cultural info very useful. I think no other phrasebook offers this kind of info.
Completely Useless!.......2005-01-06
This guide is terrible if your goal is to speak Amharic. The Achilles heel of this book is that there are no accent marks on the ethiopian phrases. If you read what is in the book there is no way you will come close to saying anything intelligible. On the positive side, all of my Ethiopian friends found this book very helpful for learning English.
Book Description
Awe-inspiring, beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking, Ethiopia and Eritrea are not like anywhere you've been before. A realm of rock-hewn churches, buzzing bazaars and untouched wilderness, the Horn of Africa is truly unique. See the mist rising off the mountains, hear the gurgle of children's laughter in the narrow streets of Harar, or catch a glimpse of a wolf prowling under the thorn trees.
THE BEST COVERAGE- the only guidebook to comprehensively cover Ethiopia and Eritrea and explain how to cross between them via Djibouti
READ UP- all the details you need to travel the Historical Circuit, including ancient cities in northern Ethiopia
BRING OUT THE ADVENTURER- climb a rope, use toeholds or walk a ledge to reach churches and hill-top monasteries
EAT AND DRINK- know your injera from your kitfo, and why the third cup of coffee is the most important
TRAVEL SAFELY- we keep you worded up on the scams, health issues and no-go areas
Customer Reviews:
Well worth it!.......2007-05-09
This book was well worth the money and a must if you travel to the ET region!
Lonely Planet Ethiopia and Eritrea.......2007-01-13
I travelled hree weeks in Ethiopia from 27.12.2006-12.1.2007 time. I visited Addis Ababa, Wollea, Debre Zeit, Dire Dawa, Lake Langano, Awasa and Harar. I used this book as a base for my travel plan and it never failed me. I read the book allways forehand at night before we entered a next place. It saved my son for a trouble becaus of framed Addis Abeba hustler information. He went to one of those ethnic conert the book was warning about and everything hapened exactly as told in the guide book. I got him out of that concert immediately and he saved 1000 bir.
Hotel information was very accurate, except the prices had come up 10 %.
Now I am back in Finland and I am very thankful for the writers. The arranged me a safe trip to one of the worlds poorest and most dangerous countries.
rgards
heikki turunen
most disappointing LP so far.......2006-11-23
travelled through Ethiopia with this guidebook and was very disappointed. The accomodation references are poor (better ask a cab driver), so are the historical descriptions. Also (but this is an LP thing) it's good for people who like to be told by the authors what you are supposed to see, if you like other things you have to ignore the author's comments at all costs.
Excellent on Eritrea as well as Ethiopia.......2005-11-26
"Smallchief" mentioned that he had used this book in only in Ethiopia; I can attest that the Eritrea section is excellent as well. The walking tours of Asmara are a particularly useful and enjoyable introduction to a beautiful and eminently walkable city. Some of the information is out of date - a number of the establishments mentioned in the book are now closed, presumably due to the Eritrean economy's difficult straights. Let's hope that Ethiopia and Eritrea can overcome their joint and singular difficulties.
A fascinating country.......2004-12-30
I have used the Lonely Planet Guide for two visits to Ethiopia. I haven't been to Eritrea so I can't comment on the guide for that country.
The Lonely Planet series, in general, is short on describing luxury accomodations, dining, and chichi places and long on local history, customs, and out of the way places. Described in the guide, for example, are the dubious pleasures of chewing "chat," the lovely Ethiopian coffee ceremony, and the possibilities for trekking in several Ethiopian national parks.
Ethiopia is one of most contradictory and complex countries in the world. It it one of the oldest Christian countries, claims to house the Ark of the Covenant (remember "Raiders of the Lost Ark") in a church in Aksum, boasts "Lucy" the bones of one of the oldest ancestors of human beings, and has some of Africa's most spectacular scenery, the Blue Nile falls for example. Ethiopians have a strong, confident ancient culture and perhaps the most distinctive cuisine in the world. Steak tartare fans will like kifto. Cold beer and hot pasta (reflecting the brief Italian colonization of Ethiopia) can be found most places for less adventurous eaters.
One tip from me that may not be in the guide. Ethiopians for some reason are reluctant to accept 1996 US $100 bills and any bill that is torn or worn.
Ethiopia is a country well worth visiting. This guidebook will tell you all you need to know.
Smallchief
Book Description
In this awe-inspiring book, Dr. Catherine Hamlin recalls her life and career in Ethiopia aiding suffering women. Her unyielding courage and solid faith will astound Christians worldwide as she shares her amazing journey.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing.......2005-06-18
This book tells a remarkable story. It is the autobiography of Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the work she and her husband have done to establish a hospital treating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. What an amazing story. I had never heard of obstetric fistula till a few days ago. I did not know that so many young women (girls, really) in some parts of the world have child birth complications that cause holes in the vagina through which feces and urine leak constantly, leading to the women becoming abandoned pariahs. And the repair surgery costs only about $300 -- but this was essentially unavailable until the Hamlins came to Ethiopia in 1960. What wonderful work they have done, along with their wonderful, competent Ethiopian staff and colleagues. In addition to that basic theme, Hamlin tells an engrossing story about the overthrow of the emperor, the years of communist regime (many of her friends were murdered), and then the current improved situation. What a story! This book about her faith and her work is well worth reading. I hope many, many people enjoy this book and are inspired to donate to this hospital.
Inspiring and compelling memoir of hope in times of despair.......2005-05-03
Seldom has a missionary painted such a compelling portrait of hope from darkest despair as Dr. Catherine Hamlin in her inspiring memoir, THE HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER. When she and her husband, Reg, embarked on their careers in gynecology in Australia, they never dreamed their work would eventually take them halfway across the globe to the third world country of Ethiopia to establish a teaching hospital.
Ethiopia's insistence on child-brides and the poor obstetric care in that country is responsible for the high incidence of women who suffer from fistula, a childbirth injury that results in constantly running urine and terrible internal injuries. The personal stories of these women as told by Dr. Hamlin will break readers' hearts. Divorced by their husbands and rejected by their families, many of these injured women live out the remainder of their lives ostracized alone in dark rooms --- all for want of an operation costing only a few hundred dollars.
A simple operation can alleviate their suffering, and most women are curable. (Hamlin takes payment in everything from live chickens to jewelry.) But although two million women suffer from fistula, less than 7,000 are treated each year. The challenges to create a hospital that serves these women --- and then maintain and finance operations --- are formidable.
Hamlin's descriptions will move even the most jaded readers to tears --- and sometimes to a queasy stomach. In one gruesome anecdote, she tells of a woman mauled by a hyena while giving birth (the hyena ate her baby while she was helpless to protect it). However, Hamlin wants us to understand the depth of this despair so difficult to relate to --- the horrific conditions these women live in --- in order to arouse our deepest compassion for their suffering.
In one memorable passage, she describes the life of one such outcast, discovered in a village by a medical worker:
"...They reluctantly showed her a side room. Inside it was dark, and the smell was almost unbearable. In the far corner, against the wall was a raised platform. Peering through the gloom they made out a woman lying on her side with her legs drawn up in a flexed position. Her bladder and bowel contents were leaking into a pool underneath. Because she had been in this position for five years the joints had become stiff... and she could no longer walk...."
This woman --- like more than 20,000 others --- was cured by Hamlin and her team.
This is a book of contrasts, from the gatherings thrown by royalty to the extreme poverty that most of the people of Ethiopia experience. Although the reader has to mine a bit too much detailed memoir to get to the good storytelling, it is well worth the effort. Her tone throughout is one of gratitude. Hamlin is quick to offer copious amounts of praise for others, even those who have perhaps wronged her in some way. She is vulnerable about her own shortcomings, especially as a parent.
Almost four decades after her work began, it's understandable why Hamlin has been called "The new Mother Teresa for our age" by the New York Times, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This fascinating account of Dr. Hamlin's work will break your heart --- and offer hope that even the worst circumstances can be changed if we care enough to help. Keep the Kleenex handy.
(...)
Don't live another week without reading this story!.......2005-04-17
I have been writing to publishers and book sellers for over a year begging them to publish this book in the U.S. Dr. Catherine Hamlin tells the story and illustrates how one intelligent, caring woman devoted her time on earth to easing the plight of young mothers in Africa. Don't live another week without reading this story! Also, sales of the book go toward keeping Dr. Hamlin's hospital and refuge open for young mothers in Africa who need reconstructive surgery following the birth of their babies.
Average customer rating:
- extraordinary
- Fascinating Peek into Palace Intrigue
- Uncanny observations
- incapable of distniguishing between fact and fiction
- Eyewitness to a Strange History
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The Emperor
Ryszard Kapuscinski
Manufacturer: Vintage
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ASIN: 0679722033
Release Date: 1989-03-13 |
Amazon.com
Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski traveled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews.
His composite portrait of Selassie's crumbling imperium is an astonishing, wildly funny creation, beginning with the very first interview. "It was a small dog," recalls an anonymous functionary, "a Japanese breed. His name was Lulu. He was allowed to sleep in the Emperor's great bed. During various ceremonies, he would run away from the Emperor's lap and pee on dignitaries' shoes. The august gentlemen were not allowed to flinch or make the slightest gesture when they felt their feet getting wet. I had to walk among the dignitaries and wipe the urine from their shoes with a satin cloth. This was my job for ten years." (Well, it's a living.)
Elsewhere, the interviewees venture into tragic or grotesque or downright unbelievable terrain. Kapuscinski has shaped their testimonies into an eloquent whole, and while he never alludes to the totalitarian regime that ruled his native Poland during the same period, the analogy is impossible to ignore.
Book Description
Haile Selassie, King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, reigned from 1930 until he was overthrown by the army in 1974. While the fighting still raged, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Poland's leading foreign correspondent, traveled to Ethiopia to seek out and interview Selassie's servants and closest associates on how the Emperor had ruled and why he fell. This "sensitive, powerful. . .history" (The New York Review of Books) is Kapuscinski's rendition of their accounts—humorous, frightening, sad, groteque—of a man living amidst nearly unimaginable pomp and luxury while his people teetered netween hunger and starvation.
Customer Reviews:
extraordinary.......2007-07-04
This is an extraordinary rendition of how a totalitarian regime works. What the people interviewed have to say is very much to the point, most of the time putting the lofty words and the evil deeds beside each other in a most revealing way. This is so good that in the end you will ask if those people indeed have two parallel truths in their heads which come out simultaneously, if they talk rather ironically or cynically, if R.K. has so much polished (no pun intended) their talk or if he has made this up altogether creating a tale about absolutism and the resulting evil (R.K. was the representative of a communist news agency and the communist world backed the revolutionaries, thus a good propaganda piece might not have been beyond him). But whatever the truth (which we will not find out), wether a documentary or a work of fiction, it is a very good book giving deep and clever insights.
Fascinating Peek into Palace Intrigue.......2007-03-27
The Emperor is a speed-read glimpse into the palace intrigue and daily life at the court of Haile Selassie (King of Kings, Elect of God, Lion of Judah). It takes place over the last years of Selassie's reign, and is in effect an oral history by the people who lived in the palace. Kapuscinski supplies just enough historical context to barely stitch the stories together into a cohesive whole. One is left with the feeling of having been there, of having witnessed the end of the reign and the end of an era for Ethiopia, for Africa, and for world politics. For all of Kapuscinski's hands-off style, he clearly has an opinion and argues it deftly. The 80-year-old emperor appears to us out of touch with his people, his country, and the age of things in the world. He lives in unimaginable luxury while thousands starve at the hands of the greedy nobles. He governs a vast country in a micomanagement style that has him authorizing any purchase with government funds over $10. Perhaps the clearest picture is the capricious autocracy with which he governs has all other government figures so focused on currying favor that they can't see the wretched starvation just outside their windows. All court employees, including the emperor's pillow-man, who's job is it to select just the right pillow to place under the emperor's feet so his little legs don't dangle from whatever throne he happens to be occupying, see themselves as indispensable to the governing of the country. Our final view of Selassie, being taken from the palace by the Derg officers who overthrew him, and caring only that he's being taken in a Volswagen rather than a limousine puts the final curlicue on a the picture Kapuscinski has been painting from the first page.
Uncanny observations.......2007-03-26
Kapuscinski has a knack for describing both the geographic landscape and the human condition in such a way that you can visualize it. He has a keen eye and mind for observation and analysis. All his books should be compulsory reading for anybody and everybody involved in any kind of aid activity in the third world - government agencies or charities.
incapable of distniguishing between fact and fiction.......2005-04-09
For a writer who is a trenchant critic of inaccuracy in news reporting this is a rather dysmal work as the reliability of his reportage is questionable. First off his informants here are mainly former Ethiopian court servants toiling in anonymity, indistinguishable and faceless like characters in one of those West-about-Africa movies. Only one of those who assisted him is given a full name because, Kapuciñski assures as, he is dead.
The book's entire strength derives mostly from the transcribed speech of these unnamed witnesses, their banters, hyperboles and turn of phrase. The cardinal sin that Kapuciñski commits is that he invented many of his informants. Many of the people who actually had the titles in the palace denied ever having said what Kapuciñski ascribes to them! It is only too convinient that the absence of proper names for the informants safety shrouded the whole issue of factuality.
The second glaring error, though effective in evoking irony and subtle narrative is his invented use of the courtly references to Sellasie: His Venerable Majesty, Benevolent Majesty, Sublime Majesty, His Charitable Majesty, Most Virtuous Highness, Exalted Majesty, to name a few; these honorifics correspond to no known expressions in the Amharic language. In actual fact speech employed at the court was strictly limited to one or two names for the king of kings. Some of the titles, the dog pee cleaner for instance are invented, perhaps for dramatic impact. Kapuciñski does not make any of this known in the book.
There are many other factual errors that are sloppy at best. For instance, Kapuciñski asserts that Haile Selassie did not read books! Everything had to be relayed to him by word of mouth. Dear oh dear me! Haile Selassie's reading habits are historically documented by writers and specifically by one Hans Lockot, in his memoir, The Mission. Lockot was the head of research at the National Library of Ethiopia during the Emperor's reign. Also the huge library Haile Selassie kept attest to his skills in Amharic and French. Add to this his written office records and the recorded speeches he made in English, Kapuciñski appears foolish for labouring this point rather too long.
These errors make the book feeble. However Kapuciñski could have corrected them by revealing the names of his informants in subsequent editions (after all it is thirty years gone now and besides many of the so-called informants have officially served as witnesses in the Dergue officials' trials). He could also make a clear statement in the introduction that the book should be taken as an allegorical tale of autocratic regimes based on actual events.
On a positive note the book's technical achievement is in its brilliant device, of whispers, old manner of speech, operatic hyperbole of cloak and dagger politics and the pervasive pompous tone of imperial court which gave a continuous vivid picture of sustained subversion and a sketchy account of the incipient revolution. Shame that such a quality work is overshadowed by Kapuciñski reluctance to drop his claim of factual reportage.
Eyewitness to a Strange History.......2003-08-25
This is a very unique book presenting a seemingly casual investigation of the last days of Haile Selassie's reign in Ethiopia. Note that this is not a history of Ethiopia or Selassie's reign, so prior knowledge on these subjects would be an advantage. Kapuscinski offers clandestine interviews with members of the Emperor's court and ministries, as they watched the slow and rather bizarre downfall of the autocrat. While non-Ethiopians often see Selassie as an enlightened visionary and Moses-like leader of his people, the reality was much different closer to home. Here we find an entrenched demagogue more concerned with preserving his power with little knowledge of the lives of his subjects. He surrounded himself with yes-men with the same self-preserving motives, and like any fading dictator he regularly purged anyone even remotely connected to independent thinkers. In one interview, a member of the court regrets sending his son to college, as the young man became infested with ideas that were not loyal to the Emperor, though they were probably accurate. Kapuscinski's anonymous subjects underhandedly point out their leader's faults while constantly heaping titles on him like "His Enlightened Majesty" or "His Benevolent Highness." This indicates the leader's cult of personality and his employees' pathological fear of losing his favor. We then see the classic fall of an out-of-touch despot, as he was ousted in one of the weirdest revolutions of all time. This unique book seems like lightweight reporting at the surface, but ultimately offers numerous lessons in power and corruption, and Selassie's story offers many parallels for autocrats around the world and throughout history. [~doomsdayer520~]
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