The Anglo-Ethiopian Society

Book Club - ONLINE - The History of a Difficult Child

Mihret Sibhat

Tuesday 13th August 2024

Online event starting at 19:00 BST - Public event (all welcome to join).

Note - Register for the event on Eventbrite and you'll be emailed a Zoom link shortly before the event.


For this book club we're going to discuss The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat.

Selam is the youngest child in a large turbulent family. Even before she is born, her omniscience animates life in a Small Town in 1980s southwestern Ethiopia. Selam and her father listen to the radio in secret as the socialist military junta that recently overthrew the government seizes properties and wages civil war in the North. The Asmelashes, once an enterprising, land-owning family, are ostracized under the new regime. In the Small Town where they live, nosy women convene around coffee ceremonies multiple times a day, the gossip spreading like wildfire.

As Selam's mother, the powerful and relentlessly dignified Degitu, grows ill, she embraces a persecuted, Pentecostal God and insists her family convert alongside her. The Asmelashes stand solidly in opposition to the times, and Selam grows up seeking revenge on despotic comrades, neighbourhood bullies, and a ruthless God. Wise beyond her years yet thoroughly naive, she contends with an inner fury, a profound sadness, and a throbbing, unstoppable pursuit of education, freedom, and love.


Book a place using Eventbrite in order to be sent a link to the session. More registration details are on the Eventbrite page.

Eventbrite Tickets - Bookclub - The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat



The History of a Difficult Child cover The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat

Publisher : Chatto and Windus, 2024
ISBN : 9781784744373 (hardback)
UK RRP £16.99

First Published in News File Winter 2023

Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily the views of the Society.
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