Of Beetles and Angels

Of Beetles and Angels tells the story of a young boy and his sojourn from Ethiopia through Sudan and eventually to America. It's important to me in that it tells of what life is like for the children and how they interpret what they see. In the story, Mawi Asgedom remembers what he thought America would be like (money lining the streets) in contrast to what he finds when he arrives. He grew up in Wheaton, IL only about four miles from where my children will live when they arrive.

FROM AN ONLINE BOOK REVIEW: The book also shows Mawi's experiences viewing racism, biased brutality, and what it is like to be noticeably different from most others around you. " Most of our classmates treated us nicely, others ignored us, and the rest -- well, we could only wish that they would ignore us. We may not have understood their words, but we always understood the meaning behind their laughter. African boodie-scratcher! Scratch that boodie!' Black donkey! You're so ugly!' Why don't you go back to Africa where you came from?' We were just two, and they were often many. But they had grown up in a wealthy American suburb, and we had grown up in a Sudanese refugee camp. We were accustomed to fighting almost daily, using sticks, stones, wood chips, and whatever else we could get our hands on. So it was usually no contest, especially when the two of us double-teamed them, as we had done so many times in Sudan." The cruelty of brutal beatings and the name calling left Mawi and his older brother scared and unsure about their new found home America.

It's not a sad story. It's actually a pretty funny and honest look through the eyes of Ethiopian child that grows up and eventually graduates from Harvard. I can't wait to finish reading it. Here is a preview.