First published 2020
Hirut works as a maid when Mussolini's forces invade Ethiopia in 1935. The invasion shatters her quiet life and pulls her into a conflict that will become the opening act of World War II. She joins the Ethiopian resistance, where women fight alongside men in a desperate struggle for their homeland. Hirut faces theft, violence, and betrayal as she transforms from servant to soldier. The war strips away everything familiar and forces her to navigate a brutal new reality. Around her, other women take up arms, their stories erased from official histories. Hirut must find her strength amid the chaos of battle and the rage that threatens to consume her. This is the story of what war demands from women and how they answer that call.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, african-literature, war
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, transformation
Setting: Ethiopia
Period: 1935
448 pages · Paperback · W. W. Norton & Company
Content warnings: violence, war