“Part travelogue, part history, part memoir, Rebecca Haile’s Held at a
Distance shines a bright and unique light on Ethiopia, a country in whose fortunes we as Americans and Westerners have been concerned for some time, but which remains in large part a mystery to many of us. When I filmed my documentary, Wonders of the African World, I described Ethiopia as the black world’s Holy Land, an ancient civilization wrapped in layers of sublime awe and wonder. Ethiopia not only holds the secrets to the source of human evolution, it is black Africa’s longest and most continuous kingdom of culture, the home of one of the world’s oldest Christian denominations, dating from the 4th century A.D.
Today, Ethiopia, for far too many people, is synonymous with poverty and warfare; but for generations of African Americans, it was the font of black civilization itself, the spiritual source of visions of a united and prosperous Pan-Africa, the living testament to the glories that were Black Africa. In her bold new book, Haile moves far beyond the one-dimensional headlines that encapsulate Ethiopia in the Western press to provide as rich and nuanced a portrait of her native land as I have seen.”
– Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
In this first hand account of a woman’s journey back to her homeland, Rebecca Haile’s Held at a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia (Academy Chicago Publishers, Paper, 183pp, $17.95, 0-89733-556-2) gives readers a powerful and unique glimpse into a fascinating African country. Haile was born in Ethiopia in 1965 and lived there until she was eleven years old. When the Emperor was deposed by a military coup, Haile’s father, a leading academic in Addis Ababa, was shot while “resisting arrest.” Barely surviving, he escaped with his family and settled in central Minnesota where they struggled with the cultural and financial strain of their drastically changed circumstances.
Haile grew up in America harboring her precious childhood memories, but in time saw herself as more American than Ethiopian. She attended Williams College and went on to graduate from Harvard Law School. In 2001, she was the first member of her family to return to Ethiopia. Her trip profiles key family members who are still living in the country, and she writes movingly about Ethiopia’s recent past and its ancient history.
Few books have dealt with the millions of Ethiopians affected by war and strife in their country. Rebecca Haile’s book brings into focus the challenges and consequences of three decades of political upheaval in Ethiopia. She offers a clear-eyed analysis of the country today, and her keen observations and personal experiences will resonate with readers.
