Judie Oron,
Cry of the Giraffe
Annick Press, 2010.

Rating: G*

Cry of the Giraffe is the story of Wuditu, a young Ethiopian girl, and is based on a true story. Wuditu is one of the Beta Israel, a small Jewish community in Ethiopia, feared and hated out of superstition by the surrounding communities. When Wuditu's family attempts to escape increased persecution and get to Jerusalem, they become separated and Wuditu tries to carry on alone to get help for her ailing sister. The entire story takes place when Wuditu is between the ages of 9 and 16. On her journey Wuditu demonstrates an incredible ability to survive in the worst kinds of adversity, and even shows strength after she finds herself kept as a slave under a cruel master. Wuditu never totally despairs and is eventually rescued by a foreigner who reunites her with her family in Jerusalem.

Aside from the incongruous Author's Note, which seems to be written for a much younger audience than the rest of the book, Cry of the Giraffe is a very well written novel. The story is evenly paced and extremely well told with a clear voice that is occasionally heartbreaking in its ability to create proximity while maintaining distance.

While the first instinct with this book is to put it next to The Diary of Anne Frank in the curriculum, and it would fit there as a reminder that anti-Semitism continues to exist today, this book could fit elsewhere. Cry of the Giraffe would make an excellent introduction to a minority studies unit, or a contemporary African studies unit in a History class. To illustrate the tension between the Sudanese and Ethiopian experience in the past two and a half decades this book could be paired with Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok.

Thematic Links: Coming of Age; Contemporary Slavery; Ethiopia; Jewish Diaspora

Christopher Hammond
Vol. 16, number 2
December 2010

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.