NO SPOILERSHaving completed the book, here are my thoughts. Everybody should read this book. When you say millions of AIDS orphans, it doesn't really mean anything. When you come to know a few, their thoughts, their experiences, their fears and dreams, the numbers take on a face and they mean something. It is much better to understand one individual in depth than millions without faces.
You fall in love with some of these children. Most parents wanted to adopt baby girls. Do you know who were willing to adopt older children, even the tougher boys? The Americans! :0) So the older kids were taught to know a smattering of English.
"Everyone is rich in America!" they told each other. And some said, "When you go to America, you turn white."
"When does that happen?" Haregewoin asked a little girl.
The child confidently replied, "As soon as you get off the plane."
(page 265)
These children would whisper to each other: does that child have a mother? Think, such is NOT taken as a given for these orphans!
There is another issue that is discussed in the book. What happens when someone attains success? What happens when you suceed? At some point succes seems to always lead to trouble. Why is it that what starts out wonderful must be critized? You will see what I am talking about if you read the book.
This book made me regret not having adopted children, older children, children with problems. They need caring adults more than anything! They need to he held. They need to be loved. And read about Haregewoin - she is drawn as a very human person. A real individual! This book should be read. Numbers are given a face.
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Halfway through: For me, this is an important book to read. I like that it summarizes Ethiopian ancient and more recent history. I like that it clearly states the numbers behind the AIDS situation in Africa and Ethiopia, more specifically. I like the summaries about medical history, the medications and supplies and when they became available. I appreciate the discussion of how AIDS maybe arose.
Most importantly, the numbers are given a face. They are no longer just numbers. The pictures in the book are interwoven with the stories of these individuals' lives. To understand what these numbers of AIDS victims mean you must put a face on them. This book is doing that. I am about halfway through.
