An excellent book to read to learn about the AIDS epidemic in Africa ( this book's focus is Ethiopia).It mainly is one woman's story Haregewoin Teferra, a woman who does not plan to but winds up creating an orphanage as so many children lose both their parents to AIDS. ( )

Like some other readers, I was a little disappointed by some of Greene's more obvious emotional manipulations. Also, I was little annoyed that she didn't really reveal her own involvement in the story, beyond just that of a journalist, until at least halfway through the book. She spends more time than really makes sense defending herself against the claim of having failed to meet Haregewoin at the airport, which makes me wonder what else about their relationship she hasn't revealed. Overall,the is a heartwringer, pay-attention-to-this issue kind of book rather than a real study of the issue. Most of the history of Ethiopia and AIDS is fairly basic background, appropriate for the book's intended audience. ( )

A truly moving insight ( )

Audio book narrated by Julie Fain Lawrence

Consumed by grief at the loss of her husband and oldest daughter, Haregewoin Teferra, a middle-class Ethiopian woman, finds solace in attending daily church services – regardless of denomination – and becomes known to other regular church-goers as a very devout woman. True relief eludes her, however, and she decides to ask the local Orthodox priest to be taken into seclusion, so she can spend her days living in a simple hut near the graves of those she loved. But before taking that final step Haregewoin makes the rounds of the churches where she had been welcomed. At the Catholic Church the director of their charity surprises her when he says that he and the priest has just been talking about Haregewoin that morning; the priest thought she might do a favor for him. Curious, she asks what she could possibly do for the priest. Well, there is a 15-year-old orphan, living on the streets; perhaps Haregewoin might be willing to take the girl into her home? A few weeks later they ask her to take in another teen; and then a pair of six-year-old girls. And in this way Haregewoin, without even knowing that she is at the center of a global health disaster and with no training or funding, begins to foster the AIDS orphans of Ethiopia.

Greene is a journalist and has clearly done extensive research. She writes Haregewoin’s story in a compassionate and balanced way, backed up with considerable information on the history of Ethiopia, its culture and religions, as well as the history of HIV/AIDS and the conflict between big pharmaceutical firms intent on profit and protecting their patents, vs. the poor of Africa and other Third World countries who are dying from the pandemic due to lack of medical care. For my own tastes, I wish she had concentrated on Haregewoin’s story, which I found compelling, sometimes frustrating, and mostly heart-warming. I was far less interested in a research piece on epidemiology. I believe Greene might have found a way to include some of this information without disrupting the personal story arc; for example, she could have opened each chapter with factoid bullet points, and put the detailed exposition in an appendix.

Still, the book is well-written and held my interest. Julie Fain Lawrence does a very good job narrating the audio version. I’m glad I had a text version as well, however, or I would have missed all the photographs.
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Having read Melissa Fay Greene book "No Biking in the House Without a Helmet" I was quite interested in finding out about the way she actually found the foster mother in Ethopia, who saved all these children.

It was a very good book, but some of the scientific, economic and political explanations went a bit over my head. My husband thoroughly enjoyed it and said he would give it at least 4.5 stars. ( )