Book Club Discussion Questions
For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, A Short History of Ethiopia and our BookBrowse Review of There Is No Me Without You.
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
These discussion questions are designed to enhance your group's conversation
about Melissa Fay Greene's
There Is No Me Without You, the inspiring
portrait of one Ethiopian woman nurturing a young generation orphaned by the
AIDS pandemic.
About this book
Haregewoin Teferra always wanted a large family, but she and her husband,
Worku, were
satisfied to raise their two daughters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. When Worku died
suddenly, and their eldest daughter, Attetegeb, died soon after, Haregewoin
retreated into
solitary mourning. But a local priest begged Haregewoin to take in a vulnerable
young
girl, an orphan living on the streets. Six weeks later, another orphan arrived
on her
doorstep. Before she knew it, Haregewoin was running a full-fledged orphanage:
the
Attetegeb Worku Memorial Orphans Support Association.
When Melissa Fay Greene traveled to Ethiopia to adopt a child, she was stunned
by the
AIDS pandemic in Africa: the lack of crucial drugs for treatment, the pervasive
stigma,
the bureaucratic denial, the international neglect, and most of all, the
staggering number
of deaths, and the orphans thus left without care. Haregewoin, hastily taking in
AIDS
orphan, who simply had no place else to go, watched her reputation rise and fall
with
each step she took in the children's interest. Faced with malicious gossip and
legal
repercussions, Haregewoin once again focused on her primary purpose: connecting
vulnerable children with nurturing caregivers.
There Is No Me Without You is the story of "the common experience of this
[Ethiopian]
generation" (276) and an impassioned reminder of what is at stake in the AIDS
pandemic: the solace of family.
For discussion
- 1. Haregewoin typed a line from a pop song, "There Is No Me Without You"
(134), and
framed it with a picture of her daughters. How does this line relate to Haregewoin's
family, and to her work? Why is this an appropriate title for this book?
- Review the rescue of Mintesinot, the brave two-year-old boy whose name means
"What could he not do?" (15). In what ways is Minty's story typical of his
generation?
What about Minty's story (which continues on pages 398 to 405) is extraordinary?
- Greene points out the dispirited state of Ethiopian children: "If
powerlessness made
vulnerable the girls of Ethiopia, hopelessness made vulnerable the boys" (105).
How does the AIDS crisis affect each gender differently? What are some
possible solutions to counteract the powerlessness and hopelessness exposed
in this book?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Bloomsbury USA.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.