There Is No Me Without You

A powerful true story of hope, love and motherhood in the face of the AIDS crisis in Africa

In a dusty tin-walled compound on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a middle-class woman named Haregewoin Teferra suffered consecutive losses: first her husband died of a heart attack; then her beloved 23-year-old daughter was consumed by an unnamed sickness. In grief, Haregewoin turned to the church and asked to be taken into seclusion.

Instead of allowing the bereft woman to leave the world, the church presented her with two teenage orphans and asked her to house them. Over the startled protests of her friends and family, Haregewoin said yes.

Once she opened her gate to the first two children, she never really managed to close it again. Her compound became known as a haven: here was a woman who did not run away from HIV-positive individuals and AIDS-orphaned children. From across the country, children were brought to Haregewoin on foot, by bus, or by donkey cart.

Her life illuminates what one human being can do for others in a time of crisis. Though far from a saint, she lives a rich life, full of grief and love, football and homework, healing and new beginnings.

As the brutal statistics about the worsening AIDS crisis in Africa increase, Haregewoin is a true inspiration. Not only has she become a mother to these many orphans, she has also started a school and day-care system, and also a shelter for sick mothers.

About the Author:
Melissa Fay Greene is the highly acclaimed author of Praying for Sheetrock, The Temple Bombing (both short-listed for National Book Award) and Last Man Out. Sheetrock was included in the "J" list, compiled by New York University, of the top one hundred works of journalism in the 20th century. Greene's December 2002 New York Times Magazine article on the plight of the AIDS orphans inspired scores of adoptions and an outpouring of financial support for African orphanages and clinics. She and her husband, Don Samuel, live in Atlanta with their seven children, including two adopted from Ethiopia.

There Is No Me Without You
Allen & Unwin
Author: Melissa Fay Greene
ISBN: 9780747584315
RRP: $35.00


Review: Powerful and inspiring