When Everything Has Fallen
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing: www.booksurge.com
ISBN-10: 1419648098 ISBN-13: 978-1419648090; 182 pages, $13.99
Available at www.amazon.com, www.borders.com, www.target.com and from the publisher
Dallas, Texas—WHEN EVERYTHING HAS FALLEN is the compelling memoir of 25-year-old Nathalia Zongo, who grew up in the impoverished, highly troubled West African nation of Burkina Faso (formerly called Upper Volta). It tells the story of her family’s struggle after her father left, and how much hard it has been and still is to have a broken Family.
At the age of 21, Nathalia Zongo emigrated to the United States, where she learned English and then wrote her memoir in that new language. It was published on March 15, 2007 and has been enthusiastically praised around the world.
What readers are saying about When Everything Has Fallen:
“Nathalia Zongo spins a mesmerizing memoir about growing up in Burkina Faso after her world fractured apart,” wrote Kathryn Price, book editor of Women’s Radio. “Little Nathalia had to help her mother raise her three brothers, one of whom was seriously ill. Through the process, mother and daughter came to a new understanding of each other, bonding as never before. This is a stunning story about the sacrifices made to keep a family together. Rich in African history, this inspiring story is beautifully written, unforgettable and deeply moving.”
Dallas reviewer Zella Vanlandingham wrote: “This is a story of agony, pain and triumph. It shows the true human spirit and is an encouragement to single moms who are struggling, as well as being a wonderful insight into how difficult it is to have an absent father. It also conveys that even when terrible things happen to us that we have no control over, we still have the ability to make decisions for a better life. I thoroughly enjoyed this walk through Nathalia and her family’s life, and I am thoroughly amazed that she published her first book after only being in this country for three years."
Today, Burkina Faso is the 27th poorest country in the world (average annual income: $1,200), with a life expectancy at birth of less than 50 years and a population whose median age is 17. Life is so hard there, that more than three million natives have to work in other countries to support their families. For more information on Burkina Faso, see Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burkina_Faso.
Harrowing New Book WHEN EVERYTHING HAS FALLEN
Captures Fatherless Life in a Cruel African Dictatorship
Memoir by Burkina Faso Native Nathalia Zongo Shows the Grave
Challenges of Raising in a Depleted Family Amidst Political Turmoil
When Nathalia Zongo was four years old, her father was fired from his government post and became a wanted man. Jailed, in hiding or exiled for 20 years, he was unable to help his wife raise their four children, so mother Florence had to do so on her own, later aided by little Nathalia. When the child was seven years old, her West African country, Burkina Faso, had the highest illiteracy rate in the world: 81.2%. High school was primarily for boys and cost $115 a year—too expensive for most families; and considerably fewer girls than boys attended school. Nonetheless, Nathalia graduated from high school in her home town of Ouagadougou. Because life was so difficult, her brother emigrated to New York City, and when she was 21, Nathalia (who spoke French and her native Mòoré) joined him there and studied English intensely. Six months later she moved to Cleveland and continued her studies at a community college. A year later she moved to her current home of Dallas, where she wrote WHEN EVERYTHING HAS FALLEN—in her brand-new third language of English. Today she studies business administration at Devry University in Irving, Texas and dreams of a time when her family will be reunited in safety
