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Held at a Distance: A Rediscovery of Ethiopia
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About Held At A Distance: A Rediscovery Of Ethiopia
Product Description 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. From Booklist Haile's parents fled Ethiopia in 1976, two years after a brutal coup and the beatings that resulted in her father's paralysis. Her family relocated to central Minnesota, her father regained professional status as a scholar, and she eventually went to law school. The coup ended a centuries-old monarchy, replacing it with a dictatorship that was ousted by rebels in 1991. Twenty-five years after departing Ethiopia, Haile returns with her husband to explore the effect of the revolution and the upheaval that took away a sense of community. Although her family was reconstituted in the U.S., it was never the same. She gauges the change and measures the extent of her loss, even as she learns of her uncle's valiant efforts to maintain his engineering business and create jobs in a nation suffering from a faltering economy. Haile also sees firsthand remnants of timeless tradition and culture as well as a multicultural nation torn by ethnic divisions that threaten its sense of nationhood. This is a riveting and personal look at a nation still in turmoil. Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Review "This is a riveting and personal look at a nation still in turmoil." — Booklist "This engaging read provides a compelling face to the story of Ethiopia today." — Library Journal Book Description Held at a Distance An Ethiopian Journey Rebecca G. Haile Rebecca Haile offers a fresh look at an old country that has been thrust into modernity by abrupt and violent political change. This powerful book allows readers a chance to experience Ethiopia through the personal connection of a writer who is both Ethiopian and American. It takes readers beyond simple headlines and stereotypes to a deeper understanding of the country. Haile was born in Ethiopia in 1965 and lived there until she was eleven years old. In 1974, military officers deposed the late Emperor Haile Selassie. Her father was a leading academic and Amharic language scholar in Addis Ababa, and he was elected to the short-lived Ethiopian parliament in 1975. However, he was quickly targeted for his outspoken and independent views and for his close ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. In late 1975, he was shot while resisting arrest. He just barely survived, and he and his family were fortunate to get out of the country shortly thereafter. They left behind family and friends and settled in a small town in central Minnesota, where they struggled with the cultural and financial strain of their drastically changed circumstances. In time all hope of returning to Ethiopia faded. Haile grew up in America harboring her sacred childhood memories but in time saw herself as more and more American. She attended Williams College and Harvard Law School. She lived in Washington DC and now in New York City. In 2001, she was the first member of her family to return to Ethiopia. Her trip is loosely chronicled in a series of essays that profiles key family members remaining in the country, and she also reflects poetically on Ethiopia’s recent past and aspects of its ancient history. For Ethiopia, the third largest country in Africa, the last thirty years has been a period of d
