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MY REDISCOVERY OF ETHIOPIA
Academy Chicago Publishers
May 2007
On Sale: May 1, 2007
200 pages ISBN: 0897335562 EAN: 9780897335560 Paperback
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Non-Fiction Memoir
"Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, Rebecca Haile's
Held at a Distance shines a bright and unique light on
Ethiopia, a country in whose fortunes we as Americans and
Westerners have been concerned for some time, but which
remains in large part a mystery to many of us. . . . Today,
Ethiopia, for far too many people, is synonymous with
poverty and warfare; but for generations of African
Americans, it was the font of black civilization itself, the
spiritual source of visions of a united and prosperous
Pan-Africa, the living testament to the glories that were
Black Africa. In her bold new book, Haile moves far beyond
the one-dimensional headlines that encapsulate Ethiopia in
the Western press to provide as rich and nuanced a portrait
of her native land as I have seen. It's an important and
beautifully written volume."--HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.,
Harvard University "This is the story of an Ethiopian child who became an
American adult, and then returned to rediscover her country
of origin after 25 years. What she discovers is the
difficulty and dangers of defining identity in our
contemporary world, a well-nigh universal problem. This is a
memoir that reads like a novel, and encourages thoughtful
reflection on our dilemmas."--IMMANUEL WALLERSTEIN, Yale
University In this first hand account of a woman's journey back to her
homeland, Rebecca Haile's Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery
of Ethiopia gives readers a powerful and unique glimpse into
a fascinating African country. Haile was born in Ethiopia in
1965 and lived there until she was eleven years old. When
the Emperor was deposed by a military coup, Haile's father,
a leading academic in Addis Ababa, was shot while "resisting
arrest." Barely surviving, he escaped with his family and
settled in central Minnesota where they struggled with the
cultural and financial strain of their drastically changed
circumstances. Haile grew up in America harboring her precious childhood
memories, but in time saw herself as more American than
Ethiopian. She attended Williams College and went on to
graduate from Harvard Law School. In 2001, she was the first
member of her family to return to Ethiopia. Her trip
profiles key family members who are still living in the
country, and she writes movingly about Ethiopia's recent
past and its ancient history. Few books have dealt with the millions of Ethiopians
affected by war and strife in their country. Rebecca Haile's
book brings into focus the challenges and consequences of
three decades of political upheaval in Ethiopia. She offers
a clear-eyed analysis of the country today, and her keen
observations and personal experiences will resonate with
readers.
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