A review by sujuv
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu

4.0

This is one of those books that made me want to learn about the context that created the main character. In this case, that would be the Red Terror in Ethiopia. Granted, so far my research has involved reading a Wikipedia entry, but I love it when a fictional book that is in no way didactic about politics or even culture spurs you to learn more because you have connected so completely with the main character. This sounds silly, but I was driving and saw a slender, Black man who walking down the street and thought, with great excitement, "is he Ethiopian?" A great book makes you aware of the world in a different way - in my case, apparently, a kind of silly way - and this book is just that. I look forward to reading his new one.