Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Notes from the Hyena's Belly by Nega Mezlekia

This amazing memoir combines captivating storytelling, important history lessons and firsthand experience to result in a complicated and useful volume.  Mezlekia sucked me in with the story and even got me to read the history and politics with interest.  Not an easy task.

The story of how a boy grew into a man during the troubled and dangerous junta takeover in Ethiopia is as heart-wrenching as it is entertaining.  The way he tells the story casts a light on traditional Ethiopian society and religious practices that blend witchcraft, herbology, and Orthodox Christianity.

A worthwhile, informative and entertaining reading choice.

rc