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Barb's Bookshelf: Greene and Van Allsburg
In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Haregewoin Teferra was born to a native middle-class rural district judge, and was raised with nineteen siblings. She met her husband Worku Kebede at a friend's wedding while she was in her teens. He was the bridegroom's brother, 29 years old, and a teacher (he had taught at her grammar school.) They married, had two daughters. He became a high school principal, and when the girls began school, Haregewoin began working and eventually worked for an American corporation as an accountant. During the 70's and 80's, Ethiopia became a Cold War battlefield, with so much political strife. During this time another enemy emerged. It was first called "Slim Disease." Americans were introduced to it as HIV and AIDS. When Worku collapsed and died at school in 1990, and her younger daughter slowly succumbed to the virus a few years later, Haregewoin was bereft. She became a recluse. Then, a priest delivered an orphaned child into her care…then another…then another. Haregewoin had no time to grieve; she was too busy taking care of all these orphans. Ultimately, she cared for up to 80 orphans at a time in her hometown, eventually finding adoptive parents for over 50 children, from babies to teenagers. In fact, two of Melissa Fay Greene's seven children were adopted from Ethiopia. Melissa first became involved with the AIDS crisis in Africa in 2000, after reading an article in the New York Times. The article described Africa as a "continent of orphans". HIV and AIDS had at this point killed more than twenty-one million people, including four million children. More than thirteen million children had already been orphaned, with twenty-five percent of them living in two countries: Nigeria and Ethiopia. Eleven percent of all children in those countries were orphans. Melissa first went to Ethiopia in 2001, and met Haregewoin in 2003. Her story is a difficult one. Melissa watched Haregewoin's reputation rise, and fall, and rise again. But this is ultimately a tale of one woman's refusal to give up on these children, as the rest of the world seemed not to care. It is a story of love, and caring, and sharing your home, and your bed, and the last morsel of food, and going without food to feed the children. And there was no end to the children. But in her care, there was always hope. Melissa Fay Greene's story is quoted as our contemporary "Schlindler's List." You will come away from this shaken, but also inspired. Now, let me share with you a light-hearted tale from Chris Van Allsburg. He's the guy who wrote "The Polar Express," and Jumanji," among so many others. I've been hearing (and seeing) so much lately of ants; they are everywhere, in our houses, in our potted plants on the porch, in our garages. They're thirsty, and they just will not go away. Well, here's his tale of "Two Bad Ants." These two "bad guys" were just following the rest of the colony towards a wonderful newly discovered crystal. This crystal had been found by a scout, and he presented it to the ant queen. She deemed it the most delicious morsel she had ever tasted. A happy queen makes for a happy home. Follow the adventures of these two ants as they travel through the most wonderful and frightening world they had ever seen. Van Allsburg illustrates this story from the view of the ants. Everything they encounter is through the eyes and experience of these little guys. You children will be delighted with this tale, but look out; they'll probably hide the "Raid!"--Barb Moore works at Franklin Memorial Library.
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