AWW21 The Shadow King with Maaza Mengiste

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, The Shadow King is a powerful,
poetic book about women soldiers during the Italian Ethiopian war
of 1935, the first main conflict of World War II. Drawing on the
life of Maaza’s own grandmother, it tells the story of Hirut,
whose daring plan saves morale when Emperor Selassie goes into
exile, only to end up a prisoner of one of Italy’s most brutal
officers. A captivating study of female power with an indelible,
inspirational heroine at its heart.


Chaired by Linda Jaivin