The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this masterpiece is set during Mussolini’s invasion of Ethiopia. It intricately brings together memory, history, and artistic prose. Central to the plotline is Hirut, a house girl ready to take up arms and fight in the war. Her relationships and interactions with an array of other characters provide insight into the brutality of the conflict. Rape, violence, courage, cowardice, darkness, and light, this is an unforgettable book about the women who fought and the importance of telling our own histories.