"Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, Rebecca Haile's Held at a Distance shines a bright and unique light on Ethiopia, a country in...
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reviews
Jan 16, 2012
Osho
rated it: 
A better book than it's getting credit for being. Part history, part family history, part travelogue, this is an elegant piece of work that speaks not only to what might cause a family to need to flee their homeland, but what it's like to come back. Haile balances the legacy of her family with the strange experience of being an expatriate tourist in her own land.
It was also fun to see Amharic words that are from the same Semitic roots as Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic.
It was also fun to see Amharic words that are from the same Semitic roots as Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic.
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May 27, 2009
Catherine
rated it: 
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
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Jun 28, 2010
Rachel
rated it: 
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 target of the military gov't after emperor selassie was overthrown in 1974. she makes her first trip back as a 36 year old woman and experiences ethiopia as the home that was stolen from her and e
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Oct 21, 2009
Signe
rated it:
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 anyone who has left their homeland for any reason. Very well written.
Nov 23, 2010
story of a woman who was born in Ethiopia and then grew up in the USA returning to Ethiopia for a month long trip. Nice blend of some history/culture in more of a story format
Dec 27, 2011
Jesse
rated it:
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 rel
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Aug 31, 2007
Anahid
rated it: 
Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, part autobiography; this book blends all this into an easy and educational read about Ethiopia and identity. Enjoyed it immensely and recommend it for all.
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