the_beautiful_things_that_heaven_bears_mengestu
2009 Longlist

The Beautiful things that heaven Bears

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Seventeen years ago, Sepha Stephanos fled the Ethiopian Revolution after witnessing soldiers beat his father to the point of certain death, selling off his parents’ jewelry to pay for passage to the United States. Now he finds himself running a grocery store in a poor African-American neighborhood in Washington, D.C. His only companions are two fellow African immigrants who share his feelings of frustration with and bitter nostalgia for their home continent. He realizes that his life has turned out completely different and far more isolated from the one he had imagined for himself years ago.

Soon Sepha’s neighborhood begins to change. Hope comes in the form of new neighbors-Judith and Naomi, a white woman and her biracial daughter-who become his friends and remind him of what having a family is like for the first time in years. But when the neighbourhood’s newfound calm is disturbed by a series of racial incidents, Sepha may lose everything all over again.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Dinaw
Mengestu

Dinaw Mengestu is the award-winning author of two previous novels, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and of Columbia University’s M.F.A. program in fiction and the recipient of a 5 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation and a 20 Under 40 award from The New Yorker. His journalism and fiction have appeared in such publications as Harper’s Magazine, Granta, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.

He is a recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant and currently lives in New York City.

Photo Credit: Michael Lionstar

Dinaw Mengestu is the award-winning author of two previous novels, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and of Columbia University’s M.F.A. program in fiction and the recipient of a 5 Under 35 award from the National Book Foundation and a 20 Under 40 award from The New Yorker. His journalism and fiction have appeared in such publications as Harper’s Magazine, Granta, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.

He is a recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant and currently lives in New York City.

Photo Credit: Michael Lionstar

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NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

A ruefully told tale of a relationship between people from different cultural backrounds. Very well described.

Mr Mengestu’s story of love and immigration features Sepha Stephanos, an Ethiopian grocery store owner who is dealing with the conflicting ideals of his love for a Caucasian woman and his loyalty to his heritage in this moving picture of cultural acclimation.

Humanizes the immigrant experience through the fresh and insightful perspectives of these superbly drawn characters. Heart rending and richly rewarding.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
Ethiopia, United States
Original Language
English
Publisher
Riverhead Books

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