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A review by missnicolerose
Beneath the Lion's Gaze by Maaza Mengiste
5.0
An extremely graphic portrayal of the war and devastation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the 1970s, particularly as it affects the various members of one affluent family.
As a white American, I grew up with images of starving Ethiopian children on infomercials, and parents trying to get us to finish dinner by saying "There are starving kids in Ethiopia!". Unfortunately, it seems as if it became a cultural euphemism for excessively skinny body types in my region. Furthermore, I was never actually informed (in school or otherwise) as to the cause of this famine in Ethiopia nor the nationwide war and humanitarian crisis Ethiopians were facing.
Seeing each fictional family member's perspective and how it evolves throughout the conflict is particularly appealing. Mengiste has provided a range of political views and illustrates how a family and friends can either slowly be torn apart or alternately unite, when facing such a crisis.
As a white American, I grew up with images of starving Ethiopian children on infomercials, and parents trying to get us to finish dinner by saying "There are starving kids in Ethiopia!". Unfortunately, it seems as if it became a cultural euphemism for excessively skinny body types in my region. Furthermore, I was never actually informed (in school or otherwise) as to the cause of this famine in Ethiopia nor the nationwide war and humanitarian crisis Ethiopians were facing.
Seeing each fictional family member's perspective and how it evolves throughout the conflict is particularly appealing. Mengiste has provided a range of political views and illustrates how a family and friends can either slowly be torn apart or alternately unite, when facing such a crisis.