Broadway, Manhattan, Riese Lounge, 1st floor,
6-8pm,
FREE.
Maaza Mengiste discusses her novel that’s set in Ethiopia at the start of WWII. It tells the story of an orphaned Hirut, who struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her employer, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie’s Army, rushes to mobilize his strongest men before the Italians invade. But Hirut and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When the emperor goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope, Hirut offers a plan.
