According to the World Bank, Ethiopia has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, yet it is also one of the poorest African countries. Marco Di Nunzio's analysis of two street hustlers in Ethiopia offers an incredible insight to the ongoing debates about the success or failure of African nation states. Replete with fascinating characters, multi-layered narratives, and alternative definitions of success, The Act of Living uncovers the livelihoods and expectations of those at the edge of Ethiopia's success in recent times. Di Nunzio's ethnography examines the relationship between desires, expectations, and success through the uncomfortable and messy realities of those who are supposed to be the ultimate beneficiaries of economic growth: the urban poor. Di Nunzio follows the life trajectories of two men he calls "Haile" and "Ibrahim," observing them as they grow up in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, enter the street economy to get by, and through their quest for a better life. From their perspective, economic growth and development hinder, not harness, their desires for social improvement. For them, and many others, economic growth has exacerbated patterns of social exclusion. By narrating Haile and Ibrahim's lives, The Act of Living explores how and why development fails the poor, how marginality is understood and acted upon in a time of promise, and why poor people's claims for open-endedness can lead to better and more just alternative futures.

Tying together anthropology, African studies, political science, and urban studies, Di Nunzio takes readers on a bold exploration of the meaning of economic success, empowerment, marginality, and street life.