Maaza Mengiste in Conversation With Hannah Giorgis
Online N/A, PortlandSet during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, Maaza Mengiste’s The Shadow King (W. W. Norton), shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. In incandescent, lyrical prose, Mengiste breathes life into complicated characters on both sides of the battle line, shaping a heartrending, indelible exploration of what it means to be a woman at war. Mengiste will be joined in conversation by Hannah Giorgis, culture writer at The Atlantic. Register for the Zoom event / Buy the Book