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The "Elle's Lettres" Reader's Prize: Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
2006-12-01
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The much-admired Greene (Praying for Sheetrock) outdid herself this time, as reader after reader christened this portrait of a one-woman haven for Ethiopian AIDS orphans "an important book" that "challenges us to do something."
Greene excels at the toughest of writing challenges: interweaving one woman's life story with the big picture of a nation's past and present struggles. We aren't overwhelmed by the wealth of information; rather, the personal account of Haregewoin Teferra is enhanced by the additional details. At the same time, her story gives us tangible proof that one person can make a difference in the lives of many.
— Lisa Newman, Seattle
Greene weaves together a number of stories — that of an Ethiopian woman, Haregewoin Teferra, who has cared for as many AIDS orphans as she can after losing one of her daughters to cancer; that of the many AIDS orphans of Addis Ababa; and that of several American couples, including the author and her husband, who have adopted African children. Along the way, Greene fills us in on Ethiopian history, the AIDS pandemic, and the politics behind it all, integrating with ease these facts and the lives she describes.
— Amy R. Furay, Cincinnati
