Have you ever made one simple decision that changed EVERYTHING? Even the smallest choice can have radical consequences, as we see in this captivating story of our fierce heroine, Fanaye. At the height of Mussolini’s fascist invasion of Ethiopia, a feisty thirteen-year-old village girl turns her life upside down when she asks a simple favor from her mother. Neither her nor her mother would ever know that favor would change both their lives forever.

Our heroine is forced to live far away from everyone and everything she’s ever known. Fanaye’s strong will and determination throw her into the paths of adventure, danger, and even romance, in this beautiful story of resiliency and strength. Using her fierce independence to defy the odds, Fanaye carves a new path for herself throughout the years of her life, unlike any other woman of her time. Captivating and inspiring, this is a story that proves anything is possible if you believe in yourself and stand strong.

The post Fanaye: Standing Strong by Salome Kassa first appeared on Addis Books.

From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award, The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 award, and a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant, comes an unforgettable love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man in 1970s America and an unflinching novel about the fragmentation of lives that straddle countries and histories.

All Our Names is the story of two young men who come of age during an African revolution, drawn from the safe confines of the university campus into the intensifying clamor of the streets outside. But as the line between idealism and violence becomes increasingly blurred, the friends are driven apart one into the deepest peril, as the movement gathers inexorable force, and the other into the safety of exile in the American Midwest.

There, pretending to be an exchange student, he falls in love with a social worker and settles into small-town life. Yet this idyll is inescapably darkened by the secrets of his past: the acts he committed and the work he left unfinished. Most of all, he is haunted by the beloved friend he left behind, the charismatic leader who first guided him to revolution and then sacrificed everything to ensure his freedom.

Elegiac, blazing with insights about the physical and emotional geographies that circumscribe our lives, All Our Names is a marvel of vision and tonal command. Writing within the grand tradition of Naipul, Greene, and Achebe, Mengestu gives us a political novel that is also a transfixing portrait of love and grace, of self-determination and the names we are given and the names we earn.

The post How to Read the Air by Dinaw Mengestu first appeared on Addis Books.

From acclaimed author Dinaw Mengestu, a recipient of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award, The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 award, and a 2012 MacArthur Foundation genius grant, comes an unforgettable love story about a searing affair between an American woman and an African man in 1970s America and an unflinching novel about the fragmentation of lives that straddle countries and histories.

All Our Names is the story of two young men who come of age during an African revolution, drawn from the safe confines of the university campus into the intensifying clamor of the streets outside. But as the line between idealism and violence becomes increasingly blurred, the friends are driven apart one into the deepest peril, as the movement gathers inexorable force, and the other into the safety of exile in the American Midwest.

There, pretending to be an exchange student, he falls in love with a social worker and settles into small-town life. Yet this idyll is inescapably darkened by the secrets of his past: the acts he committed and the work he left unfinished. Most of all, he is haunted by the beloved friend he left behind, the charismatic leader who first guided him to revolution and then sacrificed everything to ensure his freedom.

Elegiac, blazing with insights about the physical and emotional geographies that circumscribe our lives, All Our Names is a marvel of vision and tonal command. Writing within the grand tradition of Naipul, Greene, and Achebe, Mengestu gives us a political novel that is also a transfixing portrait of love and grace, of self-determination and the names we are given and the names we earn.

The post All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu first appeared on Addis Books.

Wisecracking, inquisitive, and bombastic, Selam Asmelash is the youngest child in her large, boisterous family. Even before she is born, she has a wry, bewitching omniscience that animates life in her Small Town in southwestern Ethiopia in the 1980s. Selam and her father listen to the radio in secret as the socialist military junta that recently overthrew the government seizes properties and wages civil war in the North. The Asmelashes, once an enterprising, land-owning family, are ostracized under the new regime. In the Small Town where they live, nosy women convene around coffee ceremonies multiple times a day, the gossip spreading like wildfire.

As Selam’s mother, the powerful and relentlessly dignified Degitu, grows ill, she embraces a persecuted, Pentecostal God and insists her family convert alongside her. The Asmelashes stand solidly in opposition to the times, and Selam grows up seeking revenge on despotic comrades, neighborhood bullies, and a ruthless God. Wise beyond her years yet thoroughly naive, she contends with an inner fury, a profound sadness, and a throbbing, unstoppable pursuit of education, freedom, and love.

Told through the perspective of its charming and irresistible narrator, The History of a Difficult Child is about what happens when mother, God, and country are at odds, and how one difficult child finds her voice.

The post The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat first appeared on Addis Books.

A mesmerizing, indelible coming-of-age story about a girl in Boston’s tightly-knit Ethiopian community who falls under the spell of a charismatic hustler out to change the world
A haunting story of fatherhood, national identity, and what it means to be an immigrant in America today, Nafkote Tamirat’s The Parking Lot Attendant explores how who we love, the choices we make, and the places we’re from combine to make us who we are.

The story begins on an undisclosed island, where the unnamed narrator and her father are the two newest and least-liked members of a commune that has taken up residence there. Though the commune was built on utopian principles, it quickly becomes clear that life here is not as harmonious as the founders intended. After immersing us in life on the island, our young heroine takes us back to Boston to recount the events that brought her here.

Though she and her father belong to a wide Ethiopian network in the city, they mostly keep to themselves, which is how her father prefers it.

This detached existence only makes Ayale’s arrival on the scene more intoxicating. The unofficial king of Boston’s Ethiopian community, Ayale is a born hustler when he turns his attention to the narrator, she feels seen for the first time.

Ostensibly a parking lot attendant, Ayale soon proves to have other projects in the works, which the narrator becomes more and more entangled in to her father’s growing dismay. By the time the scope of Ayale’s schemes and their repercussions become apparent, our narrator has unwittingly become complicit in something much bigger and darker than she ever imagined.

The post The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat first appeared on Addis Books.

ሎሚት (Lomit) is a gripping Amharic novel that masterfully weaves together psychological trauma, intense romance, and the harsh realities of rural Ethiopian life.

The post Lomit ሎሚት by Assaye Tilahun first appeared on Addis Books.

ይህን መጽሐፍ ሲያነቡ በዜጎች ነጻነት ማጣት ላይ በነጻነት የሚውለበለቡ ባንዲራዎችን ይመለከታሉ። በቀን አራቴ የሚበሉ መሪዎችንና በአራት ቀን አንዴ የሚበላውን ህዝባቸውን አጭር ታሪክ ያነባሉ። ለፖለቲካ መሪዎች ዘፈን ተሽቀዳድመው እስክስታ የሚመቱ የሃይማኖት አባቶችንም ይተዋወቃሉ። አንዴ ከገቡበት ሽንት ቤት ሶስቴ የሚወጡ ፈሪ ምሁራንንም ይታዘባሉ። መሃሉን ሳያውቁት ‘ዳሩ ምን ይሆናል’ ከሚሉ ግልብ ተንታኞች ጋር አብረው ይጋልባሉ። ለደህንነቱ ዋስትና ያጣ ህዝብ ራሱን ከአደጋ ለማዳን የሚቆፍራቸውን ስውር ጉድጓዶች ይጎበኛሉ። በሳቅ ጦሽ ብለው የሚያለቅሱባቸው ሌሎች ነገሮችም አሉ። በዚህ መጽሐፍ ሆድና ጭንቅላት፤ ክብርና ውርደት፤ እምነትና ክህደት፤ ምላስና ተግባር፤ ማስመሰልና ግልጽነት፤ ውሸትና ዕውነት፤ ዕውቀትና ድንቁርና፤ ገጠርና ከተማ፤ ፍቅርና ጥላቻ፤ ፍትህና ግፍ፤ በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ቅራኔ ውስጥ ይገባሉ።

The post ዝንቡላ እና ካሮት Zinbula and Carrot by Tagel Seifu , Makida Arshi first appeared on Addis Books.

• ታሪካዊ ዳራ፦ መጽሐፉ በ1960ዎቹ እና 70ዎቹ የኢትዮጵያ አብዮት ወቅት የነበረውን ማህበራዊ እና ፖለቲካዊ ድባብ ይዳስሳል።
• ዋና ገጸ-ባህሪ፦ የአልዓዛርን የሕይወት ጉዞ፣ የልጅነት ትዝታዎች እና በአብዮቱ ማግስት የነበረውን ውጥረት ይተርካል።
• ፍልስፍና፦ መጽሐፉ የሰውን ልጅ ሕልውና፣ ባዕድነትን (alienation) እና የሕይወትን ትርጉም በ«ሕጽንአዊነት» (Hitsinawinet) ዕይታ ይተነትናል።

• እንደ ወጥ ወፍራም ያልሆነ፣ ነገር ግን እንደ ውሃ የቀጠነ ያልሆነው «መረቅ»፤ በታሪኮች መካከል ያለውን ትስስር ይወክላል።
• ደራሲው ታሪኩን የሚተርክበት መንገድ ቀጥተኛ (linear) ሳይሆን፣ እንደ መረቅ ወደ ተለያዩ አቅጣጫዎች የሚፈስ እና የተበታተኑ ክስተቶችን የሚያገናኝ ነው።

• ሕጽንአዊነት፦ ይህ የአዳም ረታ የራሱ የፈጠራ ፍልስፍና ሲሆን፣ ታሪክን እንደ ኢንጀራ ቀዳዳዎች (አይነ-ርግብ) የተቆራረጡ ግን ደግሞ የተሳሰሩ አድርጎ የማቅረብ ጥበብ ነው።
• ቋንቋ፦ እጅግ ጥልቅ የሆኑ የአማርኛ ቃላትን እና ምስላዊ መግለጫዎችን በመጠቀም አንባቢው በምናቡ ትዕይንቱን እንዲስለው ያደርጋል።

The post መረቅ Mereq by Adam Reta first appeared on Addis Books.

An eighteen-year old girl sets out to meet a young man whom she had never met before and is swept away by a series of events that transform her life in a way she could have never imagined. Tower in the sky is the story of love, revolution, hopes, dreams, violence, terror, trust, betrayal, tragedy, disillusionment, self-transformation, and the triumphal power of the human spirit. The book vividly depicts a moment in Ethiopia’s history when the country convulsed with violence unleashed by a bloodthirsty military government that massacred an untold number of people, especially the young, and plunged the country into darkness. It is also the story of thousands of young people who stood up against one of the most brutal dictatorships in history and fought for equality, freedom, social justice, and human dignity.

Hiwot Teffera was one of the active youth revolutionary members of the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party (EPRP) who fought against the Ethiopian Military Dictator, known as “Derg”, who ruled Ethiopia by Terror. Her book entitled “Tower in the Sky” provides many aspects of the clandestine political works in Addis Ababa and surrounding cities that occurred mainly between 1974 and 1978 Ethiopia Revolution.

Ms. Hiwot tells concise stories that provoke questions and angers why things went wrong during that revolutionary period. It is sad to read that her and several testimonies of dozens of young men and women who found themselves in the middle of one of the most traumatic periods in Ethiopian history. Her commitment to advance EPRP’s mission made her an unwavering revolutionary militant of that period. Her memories of the brutal and terrifying incidents are incredible. She described in detail the chilling, riveting accounts of the Red Terror era until she was released from Kerchele prison in 1986.

The post Tower in the Sky by Hiwot Teffera first appeared on Addis Books.

Emebet Mengiste’s book – “YEYIKIRTA MESIKOTI” (Window of Forgiveness) a love Story, written by Emebet Mengiste is a phenomenal fiction, that effortlessly weaves its magic in just 140 pages. The love story at the core of the narrative unfolds seamlessly, with each page resonating with authenticity seizing the reader’s attention from the very first page and leading the reader through an emotional journey.

Emebet Mengiste’s choice of words is simple yet powerful, contributing to the story’s accessibility and ensuring that readers remain focused on the lives of the characters and the tales being told. The author’s skillful narration weaves a tapestry that keeps readers engaged without losing them in unnecessary complexities.

The novel serves as a testament to the idea that love’s forgiving nature is unparalleled. It offers readers a glimpse into the unlimited capacity of love to forgive in a man’s life. “Window of Forgiveness” underscores that forgiveness is not just a potent antidote to emotional ailments but also a solution to some of life’s most significant problems. In a world where forgiveness can be elusive, this story stands as a poignant reminder of the profound healing and transformative power that love can wield.

Emebet Mengiste residing in the United States, while preserving her memories and cultural heritage from Ethiopia. Her dual cultural experience is evident in the ideas and perspectives woven into her writings. In her latest book, “Window of Forgiveness,” she manages to show this fusion of Yin and yang. The narrative unfolds into a soulful, Soul-tie love story, only beginning with a simple: “Are you habesha?” question. Through her skillful storytelling, she not only highlights the forgiving nature of love but also creates a nuanced exploration of her dual cultural identity.

The post የይቅርታ መስኮት (Window of Forgiveness) first appeared on Addis Books.