Picked this up from the Library on Richardinkatu as I remembered some bookcrosser wanted to read African writers. I was almost fined 80€ for parking and dropping books in without paying for parking, but this time I only got a written warning. Phew, would have been my most expensive book and in that case not AVL...

I've tagged Annimanni with this. Waiting for a suitable courier / meet-up.

Dropped this off at oofiri's, on it's way to Annimanni.

Thank you!

Muu maa mansikka.... Thank you, Annimanni & couriers!

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Edited to add, on Sept. 10, 2016, that Beneath the Lion's Gaze brought Maaza Mengiste at least one award and several nominations:
2011 Dayton Literary Peace Prize: Fiction runner-up
2010 Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize (now Center for Fiction First Novel Prize), finalist
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author, finalist
Indies Choice Book of the Year, Adult Debut Honor Award
Selected as one of the 10 best contemporary African books by the Guardian
Selected on “Best of 2010” lists by Publishers Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, and Barnes and Noble

Year 2016 was quite challenging, I guess that's why I didn't do much reading. There were months I didn't read a single book, and this one stayed several months in my hands. It really isn't the book's fault.
'Cause I truly liked it. I'm interested in the Ethiopian history, especially the Selassie era and the Derg reign. Admittedly, I'm among those who found Selassie quite charming and nice old man, I remember thinking that Ethiopians must be so happy to have such a cute grandpa type as their leader. And how ashamed I was when I saw the ITV film The Unknown Famine and started to understand … at least something. I know wasn't alone, basically the whole Western world was with me, but still. Later, when reading Keisari by Ryszard Kapuściński, I learned more about the Emperor and his reign. Appalling things, I must say.
Now, Beneath the Lion's Gaze sets in the last days of the Selassie era and the time of the Revolution. I like the author's decision to tell the story of one family because it may be seen as a story of the nation at the same time. Family members may see the world, politics, etc. in different ways just like in civil wars and revolutions people are divided in opposite groups. So, Maaza Megiste is really telling the story of Ethiopian people during 1970's. And the way she tells it, the way she writes — I so enjoyed it. It's a gloomy story, but so worth of reading.
Thank you so much for letting me read it, Annimanni!

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This novel was one of books in Palkintokaappi 5 (trophy cabinet VBB) and picked up by ruzena. Finally, I'm ready to mail it to her.

I'm so very sorry that you had to wait for this book so long, ruzena. I do hope you'll find it worth waiting for. Happy New Year!

Thanks a lot, Tarna! High expectations!

This book was horrible. Not terrible but horrible. Read above introduction by Tarna.
It was useful to have read Keisari by Ryszard Kapuściński immediately before this lession. The style of the two books differ profoundy, but Kapuściński makes clear why things then happened.
The book is *faction* and, as such, informative, but a bit too one-eyed. She puts it a bit too bluntly. The good are relatively good, the bad are absolutely bad. But maybe the point is to show their actions and their situations, and not the persons any deep.
An awesome, *true* dystopia.

-ruzena

EDIT. 27.8.2018. The book was left at the book swap shelf in Tapiola library, Espoo, and Keisari keeps company.