Of Beetles and Angels: A Boy’s Remarkable Journey from a Refugee Camp to Harvard

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“How Immigrants Make America Great”

• a TEDx Talk from July 2016 by Mawi Asgedom, in which he makes the case that immigrants in the US make America a safer, better country
• Playing on former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan (“Make America Great”), Mawi discusses the anti-immigration rhetoric that characterizes Trump’s campaign for the presidency.
• Mawi talks about his life’s experience as a refugee from Ethiopia, drawing on themes from the book like Power in Education and Tradition and Appearances as Deceiving. He makes the case that the immigrant experience is a benefit, not a hindrance, to America as a country.

“Immigrants in Our Own Land”

• a poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca from a collection by the same name which Baca wrote while incarcerated in a state prison in New Mexico
• The poem is a sustained analogy that compares prisoners to immigrants leaving their life behind and entering a new “country” (prison).
• The poem sheds light on both kinds of experiences.
• “Immigrants in Our Own Land” on SuperSummary

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

• a novel from 2007 by Dinaw Mengestu about an Ethiopian refugee living in Washington DC, spanning just 3 days in his life
• This work of fiction highlights the struggles of the Refugee Experience in America.
• The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears on SuperSummary

Other Student Resources

The Code: The 5 Secrets of Teen Success

• Mawi Asgedom’s 2003 non-fiction guide for teens intended to help them better themselves both in and outside of school
• Having overcome his own personal obstacles, this guide is filled with Mawi’s life lessons for teens, underscoring Power in Education and Tradition.

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze: A Novel

• a novel by Maaza Mengiste from 2011 which tells the story of a family grappling with the revolution in Ethiopia that began in 1974 (the same one to displace Mawi’s family)
• This novel has many parallels with Of Beetles and Angels in that it concerns another Ethiopian family struggling to make difficult decisions in a time of national crisis.
• Unlike Of Beetles and Angels, this family remains in Ethiopia at a great cost.

“The Best and Worst Parts about Being Habesha Women in the U.S.”

• a YouTube video from modern-day habesha vlogger Sara Beqele
• In this casual and candid video, two young habesha women talk about their experiences as habesha in the US.
• connects to themes of The Refugee Experience and Prejudice in America

Teacher Resources

University of Southern California-Shoah Foundation’s “10 Resources for Teaching about Genocide”

• The Shoah Foundation’s mission is to “develop empathy, understanding and respect through testimony” and therefore focuses on first-hand accounts like Of Beetles and Angels.
• The Shoah Foundation compiled these resources for teachers who want to help students better understand and process the atrocities of genocidal war.