Born in 1974, Senait Mehari was abandoned by her parents as a baby and spent her early years in a state orphanage. After four years she returned to her father, but at the onset of the War of Liberation he made the shocking decision to give Senait and two of her stepsisters to the rebel troops of the Eritrean Liberation Front. Senait spent three harrowing years in a training camp for child soldiers - witnessing first-hand the brutalities of war and enduring hunger, sickness and beatings. She was rescued in 1983 when her uncle arranged a daring escape to Sudan and the sisters lived in Khartoum for four years, until they were summoned to Germany by their father. Life in Germany was difficult. At fourteen Senait left home to live on the streets and began composing music. Now Senait feels compelled to speak. Heart of Fire is the moving and inspirational story of a woman determined to succeed.
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"'A haunting, eye-opening read by an amazingly brave young woman' Viv Groskop, Sunday Express 'A gripping true-life account of triumph over adversity' Glasgow Evening Times 'A world of horror but a heart and soul of courage' Vivienne Morgan, Belfast News Letter"
About the Author
Senait Mehari is a well-known singer songwriter in Germany. Heart of Fire is her first book and has received remarkable international praise. She lives in Berlin.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Joanna Brown
Format:Paperback
This book is very inspiring and extremely well written. It provides a good account of the difficulties, hardships and adverse circumstances that many people live with. It furthermore gives great hope to the reader about the strengths and resilience of the human spirit. The ability that humans have not only to bounce back from the worst of experiences, but to even advance further and use their experience in a positive manner, inspiring thousands, is just tremendous.
This book is easy to read and very interesting for anyone I believe. It is not amazing literature (but much better written than many other books that are "best-sellers" out there) and it does come from a very personal perspective, but that is what makes it so attractive and heart warming. If you want to read a biography that will touch you and educate you about matters that as people in the Western World we are unaware of, then this is the book for you.
This book is easy to read and very interesting for anyone I believe. It is not amazing literature (but much better written than many other books that are "best-sellers" out there) and it does come from a very personal perspective, but that is what makes it so attractive and heart warming. If you want to read a biography that will touch you and educate you about matters that as people in the Western World we are unaware of, then this is the book for you.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good read but it seems a lot of the story is fictional
16 Jan 2013
By HIK in PA
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I received this book from an Eritrean friend and found it very compelling. However, it is also highly controversial. Another Eritrean friend of mine claimed that he spent time in the same camp which Senait stated to have spent time at being trained as a child soldier and suffering many abuses. However, my friend said there were no child soldiers. Other people spoke out too, especially a young woman Senait has described as a murderous female leader of the camp (Agwagatha). The whole story created a great stir in Germany were Senait lives now. At first Senait received a lot of positive attention but as more and more people spoke out against a lot details in her book an investigation was launched. In the end Senait had to admit that she never had been a child soldier and it looks like a lot of things she decribed and accused people of was not true or no witnesses whatsoever could be found to confirm it - only people who spoke out against her version.
So, what is left is a book that is still a good read and there is definitely a problem in this world with children forced to fight in wars. If the book helps to create awareness for this it has fulfilled it's purpose - even if Senait had lied about being a child soldier herself. I believe her childhood was hard enough even if she might have not told the whole truth. I guess the truth alone did not sell as well...a sin a lot of people commit nowadays to gain popularity and attention. Senait was probably still closer to the truth than most other "liars" out there. However, that she ruined the reputation of at least one woman (Agwagatha) is no laughing matter.
I give the book 3 stars for the entertainment value but substract 2 for "stretching the truth".
So, what is left is a book that is still a good read and there is definitely a problem in this world with children forced to fight in wars. If the book helps to create awareness for this it has fulfilled it's purpose - even if Senait had lied about being a child soldier herself. I believe her childhood was hard enough even if she might have not told the whole truth. I guess the truth alone did not sell as well...a sin a lot of people commit nowadays to gain popularity and attention. Senait was probably still closer to the truth than most other "liars" out there. However, that she ruined the reputation of at least one woman (Agwagatha) is no laughing matter.
I give the book 3 stars for the entertainment value but substract 2 for "stretching the truth".
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heart of Fire
5 Mar 2010
By K. Mcintyre
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an extremely compelling story, beautifully written and evocatively described. Once I started reading it, I found it impossible to put down. I admire and respect her courage to lay out her experiences with hypocritical and sadistic people. However, I don't know if Senait was confused as a child or if she believes she truly did have these experiences as she described them. Based on other accounts that I have heard and read, there is a great deal of dramatization and embroidery in her account. Furthermore, I wonder how is she able to remember in such detail things that happened to her as a very young child, especially such traumatizing events. There has been a lot of controversy about the authenticity of this narrative, and a lot of criticism of the author. Nonetheless, this is an unforgettable story and a great read.
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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