A review by generalalarm
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste

4.0

Heavy and difficult, but insightful and enriching. This book takes you into the hearts and minds of the people who are part of Ethiopia's 1974 coup d'etat, either by choice, or by unlucky accident. The book is truly agonizing. It doesn't flinch from difficult topics or pull its punches in any ways. Perhaps because of this, it works well both as a character study and an examination of an entire family caught up in the revolution, each of whom must make hard choices about their personal beliefs and values in the face of danger.