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What Members Thought
I read this book prior to a trip from my home in Washington, DC to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since there are not a lot of fictional stories about Ethiopia, or ones written by Ethiopians out there (that I could find at least) I was happy when I stumbled across this one, which is both. The story is that of an Ethiopian immigrant's life in Washington. It was especially appealing to me because it served as a bridge between the two locations. The author also did a good job of weaving in his perceptions
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eh.
nothing much happened in this book, and it was ultimately so full of resignation that I battled to keep going about halfway through.
it is, at times, beautifully written, but the story ultimately just wasn't my bag. ...more
nothing much happened in this book, and it was ultimately so full of resignation that I battled to keep going about halfway through.
it is, at times, beautifully written, but the story ultimately just wasn't my bag. ...more
This was really enjoyable. It’s the story of an immigrant in DC who is struggling with isolation as his neighborhood (Logan Circle) begins to gentrify. Seeing a part of the city I know through such a different perspective was very compelling.
Moving story about the life of a lonely Ethiopian immigrant's corner store on the rapidly gentrifying Logan Circle.
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Things that stuck with me from this book:
* The difficulty of being from two worlds;
* The catharsis sometimes found in loneliness;
* The importance of companionship.
I also enjoyed seeing places familiar to me through the eyes of another person and time, and appreciated his description of the community feeling of riding the bus.
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I give it three out of five stars. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to. ...more
* The difficulty of being from two worlds;
* The catharsis sometimes found in loneliness;
* The importance of companionship.
I also enjoyed seeing places familiar to me through the eyes of another person and time, and appreciated his description of the community feeling of riding the bus.
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I give it three out of five stars. I'm glad I read it, but I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to. ...more
First line. At eight o'clock Joseph and Kenneth come into the store. They come almost every Tuesday.
Selected line. I tried to tell her that there wasn't much point in holding on to a store, in holding on to anything, if in the end it didn't matter to at least one other person than yourself. ...more
Selected line. I tried to tell her that there wasn't much point in holding on to a store, in holding on to anything, if in the end it didn't matter to at least one other person than yourself. ...more
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