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Red Tears: War, Famine, and Revolution in Ethiopia
Book by Giorgis, Dawit Wolde
375 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1988
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June 2, 2018
A very interesting book detailing an event (now over 30 years ago), that a lot of Americans probably remember only in vague terms.
Written by a member of the Ethiopian govt with direct involvement in the revolution and famine, there are a lot of "insider perspectives" about what was going on in Ethiopia and how the government made a bad situation even worse.
As it is a first-person account, the author's credibility is important and that's one of the issues with this book. While he gives the impression of "telling it like it is" with respect to the failings of the government, he largely spares himself any criticism. I can't remember off-hand any place in the book where he said "... and this is where I was wrong / screwed up". The closest he ever comes is an apologia about how he was too idealistic about the goals/moral philosophy of the revolution. What makes worse is that he is brutally critical of many of his peers/colleagues in the Ethiopian govt and foreign governments. At times his tone goes from critical to strident to self-righteous and preachy.
I have no reason to doubt the basic truths of what he said Ethiopia was like at that time and how the government responded (or didn't). There was a lot here about modern Ethiopian history, politics, and culture I didn't know. But his stridency and "I confess ... THEY did it!" approach makes me really want to read other accounts of the situation to see how they compare.
Written by a member of the Ethiopian govt with direct involvement in the revolution and famine, there are a lot of "insider perspectives" about what was going on in Ethiopia and how the government made a bad situation even worse.
As it is a first-person account, the author's credibility is important and that's one of the issues with this book. While he gives the impression of "telling it like it is" with respect to the failings of the government, he largely spares himself any criticism. I can't remember off-hand any place in the book where he said "... and this is where I was wrong / screwed up". The closest he ever comes is an apologia about how he was too idealistic about the goals/moral philosophy of the revolution. What makes worse is that he is brutally critical of many of his peers/colleagues in the Ethiopian govt and foreign governments. At times his tone goes from critical to strident to self-righteous and preachy.
I have no reason to doubt the basic truths of what he said Ethiopia was like at that time and how the government responded (or didn't). There was a lot here about modern Ethiopian history, politics, and culture I didn't know. But his stridency and "I confess ... THEY did it!" approach makes me really want to read other accounts of the situation to see how they compare.
Displaying 1 of 1 review