Reddit reviews The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat

Ryszard Kapuscinski - The Emperor

>Haile Selassie, His Most Puissant Majesty and Distinguished Highness the Emperor of Ethiopia, enjoyed a 44-year reign until his own army gave him the boot in 1974. In the days following the coup, the Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski traveled to Ethiopia and sought out members of the imperial court for interviews.

>His composite portrait of Selassie's crumbling imperium is an astonishing, wildly funny creation, beginning with the very first interview. "It was a small dog," recalls an anonymous functionary, "a Japanese breed. His name was Lulu. He was allowed to sleep in the Emperor's great bed. During various ceremonies, he would run away from the Emperor's lap and pee on dignitaries' shoes. The august gentlemen were not allowed to flinch or make the slightest gesture when they felt their feet getting wet. I had to walk among the dignitaries and wipe the urine from their shoes with a satin cloth. This was my job for ten years." (Well, it's a living.)

>Elsewhere, the interviewees venture into tragic or grotesque or downright unbelievable terrain. Kapuscinski has shaped their testimonies into an eloquent whole, and while he never alludes to the totalitarian regime that ruled his native Poland during the same period, the analogy is impossible to ignore.

source: Amazon.com review

Sorry that it took me 5 days to make this reply, but I honor my promises (thanks to /u/nixons_nose). So here are the other books:

• The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat, written by the famed Polish correspondent Ryszard Kapuscinski, is about the waning days of the last Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie I (also known as Ras Tafari). This is a really compelling read.
  
• Another book on Emperor Haile Selassie, King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia offers a more complete and balanced view of the Emperor. Must be read along with Kapuscinski's book.
  
• Gebru Tariki's The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa tells us of the rise and fall of the socialist dictatorship that replace Selassie's empire, the Derg and Mengistu eras.
  
• Tom Cooper's Wings over Ogaden: The Ethiopian-Somali War, 1978-1979 chronicles a little-known episode of the Cold War era (I'd use "saga" over "era", it sounds better.), the Ogaden War. Nice to see books on African wars, because they are usually ignored and overlooked. Must-read.
  
• Lastly, for a general history of Ethiopia, this book fits the bill: Harold Marcus' A History of Ethiopia Updated Edition.
  
  I hope these books will help you. ;)
  
  EDIT: Added bullets and a link.
  
  
  

If anyone ever has doubts about why an absolute monarchy is a shit idea, please read this book...

The Emperor: Downfall of an Autocrat https://www.amazon.com/dp/0679722033/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sgLPBb0N603E1

I read it because my gf is Ethiopian and because I'm kinda fascinated by the fact that Rastafarians consider him the Messiah and the living spirit of God. The whole time I was reading it though, I just kept thinking, "Holy shit. Thank God I don't live in a monarchy." The potential (come true in this example) for corruption and dysfunction is truly next level.

Did you read “The Emperor” by Ryszard Kapuscinski?

That will provide you with a lot of questions.