Habte’s story is one of strength through desperation. When one is truly desperate s/he struggles for the strength to escape and survive the situation.
Habte’s story is one we hear little of in the news. For years Ethiopia has been trying to overtake the small country of Eritrea. Most people have not even heard of the country of Eritrea. In the summer of 1978 Habte, his brother, and two sisters began their escape from their homeland. Their perilous journey took them to Sudan and Uganda and finally to Kenya. There he applied for refugee status. He received a work-permit and permanent residence. After a little over a year they were able to apply for sponsorship to come to the US. Through a lot of hard work and good connections he was able to get a scholarship to John Hopkins University, resulting in a job at Bloomberg as a software engineer. But he never forgot an old time-tested Eritrean saying, “To those who have done you favors, either return the favor or tell others about their good deeds.” With that in mind, Habte eventually returned to his country to offer others business opportunities.
I truly admire the courage and determination Habte had. It made me more aware of the difficulties encountered by refugees. Each day on the journey is dangerous and exhausting physically and mentally. Many leave their homes with nothing. At each stop along the way they have to find a way to procure food and the basic necessities. Many are jailed and/or abused at some point along the journey.
I gave the book four stars for two reasons. First, his story is told in a disassociated manner. He detached himself from his emotions. I feel this prevents the reader from really relating to his situation. But the main reason is that over half of the book goes into detail of the history of the country and the many conflicts there. Only then does the story focus on him and his family.
If you know little of this region of the world and their conflicts, it is well worth reading. There is no doubt that Habte is an exceptional young man who never gave up and never forgot his homeland. The acts of kindness he encountered he then returned to others.