Books like The wife's tale by Aida Edemariam

"The Wife’s Tale" traces the life of Yetemegnu, born in Gondar a hundred years ago, and her extraordinary journey through Ethiopia’s turbulent twentieth‑century history. Marrying a younger poet‑priest before she was ten, Yetemegnu witnessed fascist invasion, Allied bombardment, exile, the rise and fall of Emperor Haile Selassie, and the chaos of revolution and civil war. She endured personal loss—widowhood and the deaths of children—while remaining a steadfast advocate for justice. Through Aida Edemariam’s vivid prose, the memoir shares her grandmother’s recollections of a childhood surrounded by priests, soldiers, and scholars, and introduces readers to a wide array of figures, from emperors and empresses to Marxist revolutionaries and wartime double agents. Set against the rich tapestry of Ethiopian festivals, seasons, and social conditions, the book offers an intimate portrait of a resilient woman and the complex nation she helped shape.

First publish date: 2018