Book Review: The Shadow King (Ethiopia History)
The story of war has always been a masculine story, but this was not true for Ethiopia and it has never been that way in any form of struggle. Women have been there, we are here now --AUTHOR'S NOTE.
Photo Taken By Me
•Thanks to canongatebook for gifting me this copy.
🛡Plays, Run the world by Beyoncè.
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|| Book~Review ||
The Shadow King is a historical fiction novel, lyrically written and narrated in third person point of view, that tells the history of Benito Mussolini 1930s WWII invasion of Ethiopia (Second Italo-Ethiopian War).
The Prologue, beginning in 1974 rewinds into the past, revealing the incidents that took place between 1935 to 1941.
It tells the story of an Ethiopian woman Hirut, an orphan and a maid who's life was a struggle while living in the household of Kidane, an officer of Haile Selassie’s army, with his wife Aster, and the cook. She went from been a servant to a valiant warrior during the invasion. While Aster, went from been just a wife who was to care for the injured men, to a woman who gathered and trained local women that fought during the war.
Hirut became the guard to a man (the Shadow King) who had a resemblance to the withdrawn emperor Haile Selassie to muster the Ethiopian people.
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The start of this book, wasn't an easy one.
Despite that, it was a very interesting and educative read that I got to discover the more you travel deep down, the more the story unravels and gets compelling.
This, distinguishing Mengiste unique and imaginative style of writing.
The main characters from Hirut to Kidane, Aster, Colonel Fucelli and Ettore Navarra, were complex individuals exhibiting jealousy, loyalty, resentment and emotions leading to them having a complicated lives.
I was caught between judging their behaviours and deliberating who among them deserved the sympathy card.
Hirut was the character I gave all my attention to. I was eager and curious to know what would happen because I was rooting for her, seeing how fierce she was.
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The exhibition of cruelty, issue of early child marriage, masculinity, misogyny, patriarchy and representation of what a man should portrait wasn't left out.
Reading war stories, brings back the memories of my first book (Half of a yellow sun) that gave me the picture of what war looks like and how I have distaste for it.
But in this case I am happy to read this because, Mengiste tells the story of the Ethiopian women that fought during the war, but they were barely giving the recognition they deserve.
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This history been told, is a story that always remind you to never underestimate the power of a woman, debunking the stereotype of women are weaker vessels and tribute to the grandeur women who fought during the war.
Thanks maaza for all the years and time you gave so we could all read this book.
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Surprisingly, I am just learning that Ethiopia is one of the country that never have been colonized in Africa.
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Photo taken by me
In summary, The Shadow King is an EPIC READ.
Highly recommendable.
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Do need the book that interprets Beyoncè's song titled Run The World!
Here's a book for it.