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The Book Case

Mihret Sibhat Writes an Ethiopian Epic

The Book Case

ABC News

Fiction, Arts, Books, Society & Culture

4.1766 Ratings

🗓️ 13 July 2023

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The History of a Difficult Child is a beautiful and sprawling family story set in Ethiopia during the Socialist Revolution. It is narrated by a young girl born into a family fighting against the system for their Christian beliefs, while being systematically relieved of their wealth and livelihood due to the oppressive incoming regime. It’s riveting, ambitious, and utterly compelling. And you know what else? It’s funny. Really funny! Take a journey with debut novelist Mihret Sibhat into The History of a Difficult Child, you will be so glad you did. Books mentioned in this podcast: The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz Go as a River by Shelley Read Family Lexicon by Natalia Ginzburg Family Sayings by Natalia Ginzburg All our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid My Garden (Book) by Jamaica Kincaid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:27.2

This is a high-risk investment, and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong.

0:36.2

Well, don't look around, but you're in the bookcase again.

0:40.1

Didn't know it, did you?

0:41.5

But there you are.

0:42.7

Between the bookends, in the bookcase, with me, Charlie Gibson.

0:47.0

And with me, Kate Gibson, in the bookcase.

0:50.0

Your co-host for another edition of our podcast, and we welcome you back. The book we have today

0:56.8

is written by a woman named Merret Sabat. It is called The History of a Difficult Child. And our

1:02.7

interest in this book began with a joke. It was sent to us by the publisher. We were talking

1:07.3

about it on the phone one day. Kate's husband, David David walked behind her and said, what are you guys talking about?

1:13.5

And she said a book called The History of a Difficult Child.

1:16.2

And David said, oh, somebody's written your biography.

1:20.6

And we started laughing.

1:23.2

And we thought, okay, with that, we'll read the book.

1:26.1

And we did.

1:27.1

And we both came away loving it.

1:29.3

Yeah, it turns out that this book has absolutely nothing to do with me, which is, you know, surprising.

...

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