Book Endorsements
“This wonderful memoir took me back to my own youth in Ethiopia. The author brings the country and its beauty to life… capturing the charm and dignity of its people.”
-Abraham Verghese MD, bestselling author of Cutting for Stone
“A riveting dispatch from a bygone era, as a young American girl comes to Ethiopia as a privileged foreigner and leaves with an Ethiopian heart.”
-Prince Asfa-Wossen Asserate, author of King of Kings:
Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie
“The author’s rich narrative illuminates a unique culture and the wrenching impact of events she could barely fathom.”
-Vincent DeFilippi, MD, FACS, Stanford University Medical Center
“This poignant memoir brought me closer to my childhood. I wish I had read it during my own adolescence.”
-Melissa Mertz, Psychotherapist & Trauma Specialist, LCS
This isn’t just a memoir; it’s a window into the soul – of Martha and Ethiopia. A heart wrenching coming of age story told through the eyes of a young girl witnessing the crumbling of a country and her innocence. I couldn’t put it down and it stayed with me long after I did.
-Justin Baum, Global Creative Director, Lenovo
Flowers & Locusts
MY CHILDHOOD IN ETHIOPIA
The haunting memoir Flowers & Locusts opens a window on the legendary kingdom of Ethiopia through the extraordinary childhood of an American girl. The author’s father brought his family there from New York City to become official adviser to Emperor Haile Selassie. From the girl’s earliest memory as her family drives through embattled streets during an attempted revolution, to the poignant ending as she is torn from the people she has come to love, the author brings to vivid life momentous events in this ancient African land. At nights when hyenas roam her neighborhood and during enchanted days of adventures and misadventures with a beloved younger brother, the girl’s voice – in recounting her father’s kidnapping, a gala party at the Palace, or her touching relationship with a young girl in an orphanage – memorably captures the deep emotional texture of her experience.
The memoir is also a meditation on the joys and pain of childhood, as the girl finds solace in her passion for horses and shares adventures with a beloved younger brother. In a remote and mysterious realm of beautiful wild flowers sprung up after heavy rains and of cycles of locusts that devastate the countryside, the girl learns lessons about living from her larger-than- life father, gracious southern mother, and rebellious older sister. Interwoven is the wisdom of the family’s Ethiopian caregivers and a gentle boy who opens up the girl’s eyes to both the splendors and poverty of the royal capital outside the family compound.
As a coming of age story, Flowers & Locusts will appeal to readers from young teens to adults. Ultimately, the book is a work of gratitude to the author’s family and the Ethiopian people. On leaving this magical country, the author feels the profound loss of the only home she’s ever known.
