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King of Kings
King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia | Asfa-Wossen Asserate
5 posts | 2 read
Haile Selassie I, the last emperor of Ethiopia, was as brilliant as he was formidable. An early proponent of African unity and independence who claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon, he fought with the Allies against the Axis powers during World War II and was a messianic figure for the Jamaican Rastafarians. But the final years of his empire saw turmoil and revolution, and he was ultimately overthrown and assassinated in a communist coup. Written by Asfa-Wossen Asserate, Haile Selassies grandnephew, this is the first major biography of this final king of kings. Asserate, who spent his childhood and adolescence in Ethiopia before fleeing the revolution of 1974, knew Selassie personally and gained intimate insights into life at the imperial court. Introducing him as a reformer and an autocrat whose personal historywith all of its upheavals, promises, and horrorsreflects in many ways the history of the twentieth century itself, Asserate uses his own experiences and painstaking research in family and public archives to achieve a colorful and even-handed portrait of the emperor.
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Simona
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Haile Selassie was the Ethiopian emperor from 1930 to 1975 when he was assassinated in a military coup. This biography was written by his nephew, and unfortunately I have to say that is not the most objective written. The author is, in a way, inappropriate opinionated on previous works and publications about the King of Kings, and conveniently omits/briefly mentions the main reason why the coup took place - a famine that already had dimensions …👇

Simona … as we know them from the time of Band Aid. Selassie undoubtedly strived for the development and progress of his country, but that does not mean that he was a good leader ... but he was undoubtedly an interesting person. 👇 2y
Simona And another interesting fact - Selassie is the messiah of the Rastafarian movement and is still worshiped today as the incarnation of God. Despite the author's bias, the book is an interesting read that opens a window into Ethiopian history, customs, beliefs ... 2y
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BarbaraBB Interesting!! I read a book in which he played a role too 2y
Librarybelle Oh! Lots of challenge prompts accomplished with this one! 2y
Simona @BarbaraBB He was interesting person, full of contradictories, and so bad for Ethiopia. 2y
Simona @Librarybelle I‘m always very pleased with myself, when that happens 😁 2y
48 likes9 comments
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Simona
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From my current read about Haile Selassie, The Emperor of Ethiopia, King of Kings. He was definitely dedicated to his country …

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Simona
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Three books for #ReadingAfrica and one short audiobook just for fun 😁 Very simple #WeeklyForecast

Riveted_Reader_Melissa I love the post with the bookshelf! 2y
BarbaraBB Me too! 2y
Cinfhen You‘re really flying through Africa 😁🙌🏻 2y
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Simona @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @BarbaraBB Digital shelf for digital books 😘 2y
Simona @Cinfhen … and I‘m taking highway with the reading short stories from 19 different Africa‘s countries 😘 2y
Cinfhen smarty pants🤓 👖 xxx 2y
44 likes6 comments
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effani
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Haile Selassie centralized the Ethiopian government and helped the country stand up to colonial European powers who saw it as theirs for the taking and its people as barely human. But his reign stagnated in later years, culminating in a bloody coup. The author makes the case that his downfall was due to his unwillingness to delegate power and his focus on international relations to the detriment of domestic affairs.

effani The author is a member of the Ethiopian royal family and knew Haile Selassie personally, and he tells the story in a compelling way.

#ReadHarder2021: a book by/about a non-Western world leader. This task is well outside my comfort zone, so I took the opportunity to learn something about a country and its leader that I knew nothing about previously.
3y
21 likes1 comment
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effani
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Reading this book, I caught myself muttering “Oh, Mussolini can f*** right off!“ - and then laughing at myself because THAT'S an original and insightful thought to have in the 21st century! 😂