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|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Beach Library | 916.35 HILL | Non Fiction | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Asmara is the capital of Eritrea - a surreally Italian city at the centre of an ex-Italian colony that has been at war with its neighbour Ethiopia (who claim sovereignty over Eritrea) for over ten years. Amidst broken palaces (built by the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie), nomadic desert encampments and war-torn towns, Hill found a god-fearing people remarkably resistant to everything fate has thrown at them. This book is a tribute to their resilience and will stand beside Philip Gouravitch's Rwandan book, WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW YOU WILL BE KILLED WITH YOUR FAMILIES, as a classic account of contemporary Africa.
Author Notes
He grew up in England & spent many years in China teaching English. He is the author of one previous nonfiction work, "A Bend in the Yellow River".
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Hill leaves Britain to become a teacher in Eritrea. Culturally, tiny Eritrea marks a transition point between the Middle East and Africa, its language Semitic, its spirit African. Because of Eritrea's years as an Italian colony on the strategic Horn of Africa, its capital city, Asmara, has an unexpectedly rich art-deco architectural heritage. Eritrea had long sought independence from neighboring Ethiopia, and in 1993 it achieved its goal; but Ethiopia could not accept the plebiscite. In 1996 Hill plunged headlong into Eritrean life, sharing the privations of a nation at war but also finding great hopes and dreams among its people. Hill traces the country's history from its fabled biblical past through its subjugation first to European, then African domination. Hill does not idealize those he encounters, and he tells graphic stories of female mutilation practiced by women upon each other, mothers on daughters. Although this is an autobiographical account, Hill focuses his text on Eritreans themselves, not on himself. Photographs help the reader visualize the exotic settings. --Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
The former Italian colony of Eritrea has been at war with neighboring Ethiopia for much of its recent history. Hill (A Bend in the Yellow River), a volunteer teacher in Eritrea during a short period of peace in the late 1990s, recounts his time there but does not really detail his teaching experiences. Instead, he focuses on the history of the country, stories from the people who fought in the war, and how Eritrea attempted to rebuild itself during the peace-that is, until war broke out again, forcing him to evacuate. Hill provides some sense of the atrocities that occurred during the war and touches lightly on such issues as poverty and the role of women. His personal account is certainly interesting but unfortunately does not give a complete picture of life in Eritrea. It really only skims the surface of this country, with a proud and resilient-yet profoundly weary-people. For larger travel collections in public libraries.-Sheila Kasperek, North Hall Lib., Mansfield Univ., PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.