Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia

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This powerful book gives readers a chance to experience Ethiopia through the personal experience of a writer who is both Ethiopian and American It takes readers beyond headlines and stereotypes to a deeper understanding of the country This is an absorbing account of the author s return trip to Ethiopia as an adult, having left the country in exile with her family at age 11 She profiles relatives and friends who have remained in Ethiopia, and she writes movingly about Ethiopia s recent past and its ancient history She offers a clear eyed analysis of the state of the country today, and her keen observations and personal experience will resonate with readers This is a unique glimpse into a fascinating African country by a talented writer. Best Download Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia by Rebecca G. Haile For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr This book is marketedas a memoir, but it s probably better described as a travelogue with bits of memoir interspersed throughout In general, the memoir bits areinteresting than the travelogue aspect, though the travelogue has its moments as well To the author s credit, I felt that she was genuine and frank, which is not always easy when writing a memoir that will be not be published posthumously In several places, she is openly critical of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as a sexist This book is markete...The most fascinating portion of this book for me was Haile s epilogue, a thoughtful chapter where she examines the multiple claims upon her identity by different languages, religions, societies, and continents Born in Ethiopia, she left the country with her family in 1976, two years after the coup, and grew up in Minnesota, where her father worked at St John s college which I have been to, and which is beautiful, and which has a working monastery on the grounds, and which is officially a tiny The most fascinating portion of this book for me was Haile s epilogue, a thoughtful chapter where she examines the multiple claims upon her identity by different languages, religions, societies, and continents Born in Ethiopia, she left the country with her family in 1976, two years after the coup, and grew up in Minnesota, where her father worked at St John s college which I have been to, and which is beautiful, and which has a working monastery on the grounds, and which is officially a tiny church and college community in the middle of nowhere.Sadly, Haile didn t hold my interest with much else of the book I learned a great deal about Ethiopia through her narrative of her return in 2001 learned about the problems the country faces in trying to build and re build an infrastructure learned about its history of resisting colonization while embracing its own, distinct, Christian traditions Yet the book had the tone of a textbook...This book is the story of the author s return to her birth country, Ethiopia, after living most of her life in the United States It offered an interesting, brief overview of the living conditions of different parts of Ethiopia The book was okay, but nothing revelatory.This was a nice introduction to culture and recent ancient history of Ethiopia, seen through the very personal lens of an Ethiopian emigrant Haile writes clearly and at all times, this is her story and her relationship with her country of origin Her journey to Ethiopia as an adult causes her to reassess her self definition as an Ethiopian considering how American her viewpoints are an...this book is a memoir, travelogue and historical account all rolled into one i appreciated all the ethiopian history in this, and haile s account made the revolution real to me everything is related through haile s personal experience of having to leave the country as a child because her father was a targe...I would not have come across this book if I didn t have an interest in Ethiopia , but I m so glad I did In some ways the Ethiopia story mirrors other African Countries But in many ways it is very different, with its own culture, history and mythology Rebecca Haile shares her own story, having left at 10 years old after the persecution of her father, and returning 25 years later She gives a thoughtful perspective on what it means to be Ethiopian She digs into the stories, the people, the I would not have come across this book if I didn t have an interest in Ethiopia , but I m so glad I did In some ways the Ethiopia story mirrors other African Countries But in many ways it is very different, with its own culture, history and mythology Rebecca Haile shares her own story, having left at 10 years old after the persecution of her father...Having been to Ethiopia the travelogue part of the story was a flashback to a beautiful time and place The memoire part was, to me, very interesting I have spent 5 months in Ethiopia in 2009 and many people seemed conflicted by the recent past To gain some insight through s...This book resonated with me Like the author, I spent my childhood in Ethiopia I appreciated the author s efforts to reconcile her childhood memories with adult knowledge and experience This is neither a memoir nor a travelogue ...I really loved this woman s honest thoughts on what it means to be Ethiopian As an adoptive Mom of Ethiopian children it gave me some perspective on how to approach keeping my children s culture It is not a struggle that only adopted children have, but any...I enjoyed his memoir by an Ethiopian woman whose family was forced to flee to the United States during Ethiopia s Red Terror The story of her return visit, decades later, breaks down so many Western sterotypes of Africa A good read

Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia
  • English
  • 03 November 2019
  • Paperback
  • 195 pages
  • 0897335562
  • Rebecca G. Haile
  • Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia