What do You think about Of Beetles And Angels: A Boy's Remarkable Journey From A Refugee Camp To Harvard (2002)?
I think everyone should have their teenager read this before they go to high school, or maybe even middle school. I love his message about what you can accomplish in life if you decide to work hard in school and get good grades. And even more, I love what this teaches about what can happen when you choose to treat everyone around you as an angel, rather than a "beetle." I loved the part about getting voted in to student government, simply because he had been nice to everyone and had chosen not to view his classmates through the "caste system" of high school."Of the gifts that we can give, the greatest is to see beauty in each other -- in essence, to give beauty to each other. When we give that beauty, we prepare our hearts to receive it back."
—Andrea
Of Beetles and Angels is a great book.It talks about how a poor kid from Refugee camp,ends up in the best universities in the country.Thanks to all the hard work he and his family have passed.His father (Haileab born in seraye,Eritrea in 1934) always made him keep his head up even when times got hard.Mawi (main character) has a brother named Tewolde,and a sister named Mehret.His mother was Tsege she was loving and hard working.She would stay home and clean the house and do what was best for the family at home.Haileab and Tewolde were the ones who had money coming in.Mawi was really into school and he kept all A`s.He was very smart and did sports.He did basketball first then he did track.Track was something that changed his life.With the help of his coachs.His track coach bought him his track shoes all 4 years without telling anyone.He even took him school shoping for school stuff.Mawi had to go though the hardest thing a teen might have to do.Mawi lost his father and brother.They were both killed by a drunk driver.So Mawi had to go on without a father and brother.He made to Harvard,and gave a great speech. This has great quotes that say alot.The one that i liked alot was "if you want them to grow up fatherless,go ahead and report to headquarters."The father of Mawi wanted to do something that he had been wanting to do along time.But then his friends tell him not to because he has kids.That made me think alot about my mom and dad and how much they give up everyday,just for me and my brothers.So always make sure to thank your parents.They give up alot just for you.The 2nd quote that made me think about alot is "The day comes in each of our lives when these around us are asked to testify and tell what kind of people we have demonstrated in our past"The day well come that every kind thing you did well pay back.So always be kind,do the right thing.Someone is always watching you and your day well come when everything pays back.So always be KIND,do your BEST.
—Daniela Osorio
The main message in Of Beetles and Angels, by Mawi Asgedom, is that the greatest gift is to see beauty in others. Of Beetles and Angels begins in SUdan, where Selwami (Mawi) and his family are at a refugee camp in Sudan to escape the war in Ethiopia and Eritrea, their homeland. Selwami and his family live at the refugee camp for three years, living on rations and being disciplined by the Sudanese school teachers. When Selwami is 7, they leave the refugee camp and move to America, where they live in Chicago. Told by Selwami himself, he must deal with the new culture, familial losses, and racial prejudice in America, while learning that some of the most beautiful angels are disguised as beggars and beetles, and that opening his heart to others will never be wrong. This memoir shows Selwami’s journey from Africa to his full tuition scholarship to Harvard.tI thoroughly enjoyed this book. One thing that I liked about this book that each chapter had a good purpose, which was to share an inferential message with the reader. This book showed Mawi growing up, where he saw his father take in beggars and his brother help them find jobs, so he also learned to see the beauty in them, which shows the reader that we she not judge by the appearance of one, which is a simple lesson, yet many times overlooked. Maui also shared that getting to where he is today was not easy, as the book shows his grief as his older brother got killed by a drunk driver on a high way, just after he finished high school. I liked his perseverance though his struggles and the inspiration that he gives to others. One of my favorite parts of this book was his speech to his fellow classmates at his graduation, for Mawi shared that one simple act of kindness can do big things. He said, “Remembering where you came from means holding on to the vision that you are part of a human community…Too many of us go through life with the covers over our heads. We want to reach out, but we fear to make ourselves vulnerable…Today’s small act of kindness can become tomorrow’s whirlwind of human progress…”(137). The message of this book can be inspirational to others, to help others, to believe in others, and trust others, so that when times are rough, people can see the beauty in others, and thus, the good of the situation. I would highly recommend this book to any of my classmates, and even though it is non-fiction the plot is very well constructed.
—Nicole
