War opens doors for the subordinate
An invasion can break the old order enough that women in servitude seize the chance to become fighters and commanders. They do far more than cook and nurse; they recruit and train armies of their own.
Ethiopia, 1935: as Mussolini's army advances, orphaned servant Hirut enters the household of Kidane, an officer loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie. Mengiste tells this epic of invasion and resistance from both Ethiopian and Italian sides, with women's wartime roles at its core.
Defending the system that oppresses you
People will fight to protect a homeland whose own hierarchy keeps them down. Facing a foreign enemy and living under an unjust order at home are both true at the same moment.
Official history erases ordinary fighters
The recorded story of a war leaves out the ordinary people, especially women, who actually fought it. Those forgotten warriors often turn out to be close at hand, even inside one's own family.
Suppressed memory demands return
What a person refuses to remember for decades does not go away; it waits for a reckoning. The dead and their records insist on being brought back, and memory gathers them like bones.
Strip away inherited duty to see the self
Erase a man's lineage and the obligations that come with it, and what he does freely, without duty or fear, shows who he really is. A person who is told who she is can steady herself by reciting her own names and roles.