Of Beetles and Angels

by Mawi Asgedom

  To Megan Tingley, for seeing beauty in me and my story. I’m so happy and so lucky to be working with you, Alvina: Ling, will Gordon, Sheila Smallwood, Kerri Goddard, Linda Magram, and all the awesome people at Little, Brown and company. Jerry Jensen, thank you for linking me with Megan! All of you: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  To my American mother, Candi Olander, who adopted me as one of her own, thank you for supporting me during my low times, having faith in me during my hard times, and loving me always.

  To Harvard University, for the educations, for the friendships, and yes, even for the challenges. Thank you for investing in me.

  To World Relief and Bethel Presbyterian Church, I ask, what thanks can i ever offer you, when you have given me a new lease on life?

  To Wheaton Bible Church, and especially, the couples for Christ fellowship. I do not have the words or power to thank you; you more than any other Americans have inspired and stunned and changed me through your love. I join my father and we yell out emphatically to the heavens: “GOD BLESS WHEATON BIBLE CHURCH AND GOD BLESS COUPLES FOR CHRIST!” You are easily known by your love.

  To my people, my habesha brothers and sisters, both Eritreans and Ethiopians, all you who have been our family away from our family, and soothed our hearts when we most needed it, it lies not within human power to repay you — i can only pray that amlahk baaloo Yihabkoom.

  To Mulu, Nega, Matthew, and Hannah, for all your love.

  To you who I treasure more than anything in the world, my closest companions on this slow-swift adventure we call life, Mama, Mehret, and Hntsa. I hope that the preceding pages have done you right.

  To my father, for your inner fire, for teaching us to see angels, and for your persistent faith that we could make it.

  To you who meant more than life itself, for your love and faith, for all you have given and all you have inspired — God be with us, and may we meet again.

  And finally to the spirit that has guided and watched me. I thank you for the life and breath you give me, and pray that you lead me in good paths and give me the faith, hope, and love to move forward until that written day comes, journey ends, and you receive me back to your eternal fold.

  The HAT Foundation

  The author is donating one-third of all final proceeds from Of Beetles and Angels to The HAT foundation.

  The hat (Haileab and Tewolde) Foundation is a nonprofit organization with two missions:

  1) To provide educational resources and emotional support for recently arrived third-world immigrants in the United States.

  2) To provide funding for AIDS and malaria relief in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

  Readers who wish to support the HAT Foundation can send contributions to:

  MEGADEE BOOKSATTN:

  THE HAT FOUNDATION

  P.O. BOX 57060

  Chicago, IL 606570-60

  After completing this book, Mawi has continued to share his story with students, refugees, and community groups.

  Praise for Mawi as a speaker:

  “Once in a while you hear someone that can change your thoughts, your attitude, and your life. Mawi Asgedom is one such person.”

  Swanton Enterprise by two high school students, Aaron Redd and Kerry McQuade.

  “The messages in a motivational speech given to the Wheaton North High School freshman class Friday were likely old hat. Don’t drink and drive. Success comes from taking risks. Believe in yourself.

  “But those messages sank in because the messenger — Ethiopian refugee, former Wheaton North student, and Harvard graduate Mawi Asgedom — was like no one they’d ever seen before.”

  The Daily Herald (Chicago).

  “As coordinator of special programs at Steinmetz Academic Centre, I have coordinated many programs featuring motivational speakers for more than ten years. I consider Mawi among the very best.”

  Michael Altman, Special Programs Coordinator, Steinmetz Academic Centre, Chicago.

  “Mawi Asgedom gave one of the most successful speeches at Harvard Commencement in 1999 that I have heard in the twentyone years I have been coaching the speakers. He is witty and personable, the kind of speaker one likes the moment he begins to talk, and he is able in simple and elegant language to convey profound truth with brevity and sincerity.

  “He would be ideal in speaking to students, whether in high school or college, on subjects close to his head and his heart.”

  Richard Marius, former Senior Lecturer, Harvard University Commencement Speech Coach

  “I am truly awed by Mawi’s strength and conviction. I have heard his story firsthand, when he volunteers his time each week to talk with high school students as part of our education program.

  “I have seen the effect it has on both students and teachers alike — his words inspire us to achieve our goals. Each page of this book humbles the reader with the sheer courage it took to overcome so much and give even more back to young people.”

  Charlie Trotter, chef/author

  Mawi has spoken to more than 100,000 people across the United States. To learn more about Mawi’s speaking services, or to sign up for his free newsletter, please visit www.mawispeaks.com.

  MAMA TSEGE’S LEGENDARY HABESHA RECIPES

  If you asked habesha in Chicagoland to name their favorite cook, they might instantly become hungry. Unknown to them, their hands might wander to their stomachs and their tongues might half-savor, half-murmur: “Mama Tsege.” Especially if you asked the habesha in Wheaton. (Now, if you asked a certain habesha named Selamawi Asgedom, he’d insist that Mama Tsege was the best cook of habesha cuisine in the world!)

  Habesha cuisine features many different sebhi, or stews: chicken, lamb, beef, bean, kale, and lentil to name a few. The different sebhi are eaten with a thin habesha bread called injera. The following are several of Mama Tsege’s legendary sebhi recipes.

  To make the recipes accessible to the greatest number of people, we only included recipes that have readily available ingredients. Notable omissions include zignee and dorho wot. Bread should be used instead of injera.

  These recipes were prepared with the help of Candi Olander and Mehret Asgedom.

  Bihagos buhloooh! (Bon appetit!)

  — Tsege and Selamawi Asgedom

  Garlic Paste

  2 pounds raw garlic cloves

  1 pound green pepper

  ½ pound fresh ginger

  ¼ cup salt

  Puree to make paste, which is used to season much Ethiopian/ Eritrean cuisine. Keep in freezer.

  Tibsi (Pepper Steak)

  1 pound sirloin steak, cut in ¼-inch-thick strips

  1 medium onion, roughly chopped

  2 tablespoons olive oil*

  ½ large green pepper, cut in strips

  1 jalapeno pepper, cut in quarters, with seeds**

  1 tablespoon garlic paste***

  1 tablespoon butter*

  1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1) Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic paste. Cover and cook until beef begins to brown. Stir often.

  2) Add green pepper and jalapeno. Cover and cook until peppers are soft.

  3) Add salt and cardamom. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.

  Bursoon (Lentil Salad)

  2/3 cup dried lentils

  water

  1/3 cup minced green pepper

  ½ jalapeño, seeds removed, minced

  2 tablespoons olive oil

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  2 carrots, chopped

  1) Rinse lentils and put in pan. Cover with water. Cook lentils over high heat, adding water as needed, until very soft. Reserve.

  2) Toss minced green pepper and jalapeño with oil and salt.

  3) Add hot lentils and mix thoroughly.

  4) Garnish with raw carrot. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.

  Hamli (Cooked Kale)

  2 tablespoons olive oil*

  ¾ cup chopped o
nion

  2 plum tomatoes, pureed in blender

  1/3 cup garlic paste***

  ½ teaspoon salt

  3 bunches fresh kale (about 8 cups, fine-chopped)

  1) Heat oil in Dutch oven, add onion, cover, and cook over medium heat until soft.

  2) Add tomatoes, garlic paste, and salt. Heat through.

  3) Add kale, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for approximately 30 minutes. Kale will be soft. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve.

  Reading Group Guide:

  Of Beetles and Angels has stimulated reading groups across the country. Here are nine discussion topics that will help spark dialogue in your reading group. Add your own!

  If you had to flee America today with your immediate family, several suitcases, and $100, where would you go? How would you get there? What would be your biggest challenges once you got there?

  One of the last things the villagers told Mawi’s family was, “Remember us.” When Mawi gave his commencement address at Harvard, he started out by sharing a piece of advice that his mother always gave him: “Always remember where you came from.” What does it mean to remember where you came from? Is it important? Where do YOU come from?

  Were Mawi’s parents good parents? What are the attributes of good parents?

  If you wrote a memoir of your life, what experiences would you share with readers? What wouldn’t you share? Do you think that you would learn anything new about yourself?

  Mawi dedicates his book to the “true hero of this story, [his] mother, Tsege.” But he hardly mentions her in his book. If Tsege is so heroic, why doesn’t Mawi write more about her?

  What does the book’s title, Of Beetles and Angels, mean to you? Are there angels in your life? Who are they? How would you title your memoir?

  What different forms can terrorism take in a classroom, community, or country? How might playground warfare lead to civil or international warfare?

  Stealing a parking meter is a serious crime. What if Mawi had been caught by the policeman and sent to a behavior-disorder school? Would his life have turned out the same? Can we use Mawi’s story to argue that young people should be given multiple opportunities to “develop a heart”?

  Rudyard Kipling once asked, “And who should know England, who only England has known?” What does it mean to know America? Do you know America?*

  Suggested Reading:

  Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

  Kaffir Boy in America: An Encounter with Apartheid by Mark Mathabane

  Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

  The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

  A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

  The Island on Bird Street by Uri Orlev

  Gifted Hands by Ben Carson

  Night by Elie Wiesel

  The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho

  About the Author

  Mawi Asgedom fled war-torn Ethiopia at age three. For the next three years he lived with his family in a Sudanese refugee camp and eventually immigrated to the United States at age seven. Growing up, he overcame language, cultural, and financial challenges and earned a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard University.

  Mawi majored in American history and went on to win many honors at Harvard. His classmates elected him to be one of eight class marshals, and he delivered the commencement address at his graduation in 1999.

  Today Mawi is a highly sought-after speaker for students, community groups, and businesses. He lives in Chicago, where he enjoys playing basketball, hanging out with his family, and listening to his favorite group, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. Mawi maintains a Web site at www.mawispeaks.com.

  Also by Mawi Asgedom:

  THE CODE: THE 5 SECRETS OF TEEN SUCCESS

  What is The Code? It’s not just a book—it’s a simple, powerful system that will help you lead yourself to success. As a teenager, Mawi Asgedom discovered The Code and turned himself from a shy Ethiopian refugee into a star student at Harvard. Now, through entertaining stories, Mawi demonstrates how you can use The Code to take control of your life. Read The Code, and you’ll learn to set your own goals, build stronger friendships, overcome challenges-in short, make yourself the person you want to be.

  Praise for THE CODE:

  “Asgedom’s book is a surefire way to motivate teens and set them on the road to success.”

  —Kliatt

  “He leads by example, and teens will be inspired by his per sonal story…. Readers standing on the edge of their futures will find that this quick read offers some valuable guidance.”

  — School Library Journal

  “His practical advice will motivate teens to greater levels of success.”

  —BookPage

  INTRODUCTION

  As soon as I had finished my speech, I saw them moving toward me. A teenage boy, head bowed, like a prisoner being marched to jail. Behind him, his mother, pushing him forward. Since their school’s assembly had just ended, other students lingered nearby.

  The mother, brimming with confidence, grabbed my hand and shared her problem.

  “Mawi,” she said, “I told my son that he shouldn’t dye his hair. He should have enough self-confidence based on how he is naturally. But he keeps arguing with me. Can you tell him that he doesn’t need to change to stand out?”

  Dang! Either the son or the mom was gonna be mad at me!

  “I hear you,” I told her. “Self-confidence is definitely the number one thing a teenager needs, and I’m glad you’re teaching your son to value himself.

  “To be honest with you, though,” I continued, “I think he can have self-esteem with dyed hair. I never dyed my hair, but I used to let my friends shave designs into the back of my head, and we had a blast with it.

  “Since you’re the parent, it’s your decision. But my honest opinion is that you should let him do it. Show him that he’s cool, with or without dyed hair, and that you’ll always support him for what’s inside him.”

  The mom’s jaw dropped halfway to the floor. She’d been sure I would side with her just because she was the parent.

  But that’s not what I’m about. And that’s not what this book is about. This book isn’t about taking sides between parents and teenagers. It’s not about preaching old-fashioned messages.

  It’s about being honest. I promise you that in this book, I’ll be honest. I’ll be straight-up. I’ll tell you what I think, and I won’t water it down, because I’m not writing it to satisfy any particular reader. I’m writing it because I want to give you knowledge that can change your life.

  Before I go any further, though, let me introduce myself and explain how I learned about success.

  Who Am I?

  My name is Selamawi Haileab Asgedom — Mawi, for short — and I shouldn’t even be around to write this book. I should have died a long time ago — eaten by a hyena, killed by black fever, or blown up by a rebel group. But I wasn’t killed. I’ve made it to age twenty-six and feel blessed to be here now.

  I was born half a world away in Ethiopia, in a small town called Adi Wahla. I’d have grown up in Adi Wahla, except for one problem: Ethiopia was in the midst of a thirty-year civil war with its northern region, Eritrea. Unfortunately for my family, our village was located right on the Ethiopian-Eritrean border.

  Men from our village fled the brutal armies, and one day, my father fled as well. He walked hundreds of miles to Sudan, leaving the rest of us in Ethiopia. Six months later, my mother took my five-year-old brother Tewolde, my baby sister Mehret, and me on the long trek to meet up with my dad. I was three years old.

  Along the way, some of our friends were eaten by hyenas. Others were kidnapped and sold into slavery. Still others died from sickness or hunger or thirst.

  My family was fortunate to reach Sudan safely. We found my father and settled in a refugee camp. After three years in the camp, our lives changed forever: We moved across the world to Wheaton, Illinois
, a town just outside Chicago.

  Was the transition to America easy? Not for a minute. I had to learn a new language, get by on welfare, and make friends in a town where I was different from everyone else. Time after time, I wanted to give up: when bullies picked on me; when my school threatened to expel me for fighting; and even in high school, when a drunk driver killed my best friend, my brother Tewolde.

  But I kept going, and by using the Secrets you’ll find in this book, I eventually earned a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard University.

  Now that I’ve graduated, I work as a professional speaker. I travel all over the country, showing students how to succeed.

  By “succeed,” I don’t just mean getting into a famous college or becoming an all-state athlete. I’m talking about real success — being comfortable with who you are, choosing your own goals, and making yourself the person you’ve always known you could be.

  The 5 Secrets

  Working as a professional speaker, I’ve met every kind of teenager there is: confident and insecure, happy and miserable, overachieving and underperforming.

  I’ve spoken in middle schools and high schools, in expensive private schools and old, rundown schools. I’ve even spoken with teens in jail. Wherever I’ve gone, I’ve always asked myself: what makes these teenagers who they are? What qualities separate the teens who are happy from the ones who aren’t?

  I finally found my answer: The 5 Secrets of Teen Success. The 5 Secrets can make a weak teenager strong and turn a class geek into a class leader. They won’t change your life overnight, but if you keep applying them, they can make you anything you want to be.

  While you’ll have to read this book to learn what each Secret means, for now I’ll reveal their names:

  THE 1ST SECRET: WIN THE INNER BATTLE

  THE 2ND SECRET: WIN EVERY DAY