Of Beetles & Angels
A Boy's Remarkable Journey From a Refugee Camp to Harvard
By Mawi Asgedom
Little, Brown - September 2002
ISBN 0-316-82620-0 Trade Paperback
Nonfiction / Biography
Children / Ages 8 - YA

Reviewed by Beverly J. Rowe, MyShelf.Com
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From being a refugee in war-torn Ethiopia to graduation from Harvard University, Mawi Asgedom tells the story of his life. Mawi's father, Haileab, was a respected doctor in his country, but had to give up his job, along with his dignity and his friends, to save his family. Threatened by the rebel regime, they managed to escape from the horrors of the civil war, but found themselves in a refugee camp in the Sudan, deprived of the bare necessities of life. They wanted to migrate to the United States, but had to wait for a sponsor to agree to help them get settled in the new country.

When that sponsor finally materialized, the family finds themselves at the bottom of the social structure in Chicago; unemployed, frightened, unable to speak the language, wearing mismatched clothes, and dependent on the kindness of strangers.

Haileab and his wife, Tsege, instilled a love of their fellow man into their brood of children and taught them to treat everyone "as though they were angels sent from Heaven., even if they appeared to be beetles." They always stressed the importance of education for their children.

The loss of his brother was a great blow to Mawi, and also a great inspiration to succeed. His graduation from Harvard, cum laude, has been his crowning achievement. He is certainly an inspirational model for living the American Dream.

This book is an exalting story that reads like well-plotted fiction. It will provoke you to laughter and drive you to tears. It serves as a model for the level of achievement possible to those who are among the most disadvantaged in America. It is a highly recommended addition to your library.