WASHINGTON– (November 15, 2018), Author Hannah Mariam Meherete Selassie will release her first book, It Was Only Yesterday, on Friday, November 16, at 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The book launch will take place at the Howard University Founder’s Library located at 500 Howard Place NW, Washington, DC 20059.
As the great grand-daughter of the late Emperor and Honorary Alumnus Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, It Was Only Yesterday will dive into her life as a royal child and teenager, growing up in a society of privilege, and most importantly, belonging to a royal dynasty. With a background that spans three thousand years, from the legendary King Solomon and Queen of Sheba, she will provide readers a deeper insight, and rare glimpse into his Emperor Haile Selassie I’s heart and humanity.
The Selassie Family has been a part of the Howard University family for decades. Emperor Haile Selassie I was awarded an honorary law degree in 1954 and has been a significant contributor to the university. Hannah’s cousin, Joel Makonnen also known as Prince JoelDawit Makonnen, who is infamously known for finding his wife in a D.C. nightclub, is also recent Howard University School of Law alumnus. Makonnen, among other’s of the Ethiopian Royal Family, are expected to be present at Hannah Mariam’s book signing.
“We have a long history and a strong connection with Howard,” says Hannah Selassie. “It’s truly a great honor to be able to launch my book at Howard.”
Guests will be able to enjoy a reading, dialogue around the family’s history and an opportunity to receive a free copy through a giveaway.
Book Synopsis:
In February 1974, her privileged life comes to an abrupt end with the advent of a bloody upheaval which overthrows her great grandfather's government and lands her mother and close family in a rotting Communist jail. By this time Hannah Mariam has fled to the United Kingdom where she is granted status as a refugee. Interested in writing from a very young age, her first book It was Only Yesterday offers unique insights about the hardship she faced growing up in a new setting and how she effectively managed change and uncertainty.
It was Only Yesterday is a delightful account of her interactions with friends and family in the backdrop of the intricate world of imperial protocol and palace politics. The book’s narrative is based on diaries kept over the past forty-three years, a collection of family photographs, informal chats and interviews, generational stories, and researching academic books about her great-grandfather and family.
A promising new author, her readers will enjoy how she has interwoven personal experiences with firsthand knowledge of her great-grandfather, one of the world’s longest reigning monarchs and an important historical figure in Ethiopian, African and world history. The book’s memoir genre will appeal to all, in particular to those interested in understanding the cultural, social, political and historical ramifications of pre-socialist Ethiopia of 1974.
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About Howard University
Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 70 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University visit www.howard.edu
Media Contact: Imani Pope-Johns, Office of University Communications, Imani.popejohns@howard.edu
