Books on Eritrea
A curated reading list of books on Eritrean history, culture, and the liberation struggle.
A Confederate Soldier in Egypt
General William Wing Loring
Revolutionary HistoryMemoir by ex-Confederate general William Wing Loring of his experiences serving as a soldier in Egypt, his assignment to Abyssinia, during which time he was made a Pasha by the Khedive.
A Painful Season and A Stubborn Hope
Abeba Tesfagiorgis
Revolutionary HistoryAbeba Tesfagiorgis recounts her experience of alienation and torture by the Ethiopian government in Eritrea which led to her escape and exile, and her odyssey back to find her daughters that she left behind to join the armed struggle.
Against All Odds
Dan Connell
The Armed StruggleAgainst All Odds
Amedeo - The true story of an Italian's war in Abyssinia
Sebastian O'Kelly · 2002
Colonial HistoryAmedeo is the extraordinary true story of Italian cavalry officer Amedeo Guillet who refused to surrender when Italy capitulated in WWII. He led a ragtag group including his Ethiopian lover in continued fighting against the British.
Ciao Asmara
Justin Hill · 2002
Revolutionary HistoryCiao Asmara is the story of Justin Hill's two years in the African country of Eritrea, the people he met, and the country he discovered.
Conversations with Eritrean Political Prisoners
Dan Connell · 2002
Revolutionary HistoryThis book contains interviews with five Eritrean critics and government officials conducted shortly before they were arrested and detained indefinitely in 2001, after expressing dissatisfaction with the president's leadership.
Emergent Eritrea
Edited by Gebre Hiwet Tesfagiorgis · 1991
The Armed StruggleEmergent Eritrea is a collection of papers presented at a 1991 conference on economic policymaking in Eritrea, held shortly after Eritrea gained independence.
Eritrea - A Country Handbook
Ministry of Information of Eritrea
Revolutionary HistoryEritrea - A Country Handbook by the Ministry of Information of Eritrea
Eritrea at a Crossroads - A Narrative of Triumph, Betrayal and Hope
Andebrhan Welde Giorgis · 2014
Revolutionary HistoryFreedom fighter turned scholar Andebrhan Welde Giorgis offers an insider's view of Eritrea's distressing political slide from triumph to tragedy after independence.
Eritrea - Revolution At Dusk
Robert Papstein
The Armed StruggleEritrea - Revolution At Dusk
Gedli Deqianstyo - The Women's Struggle
Solomon Berhe, Ephrem Habtetsion, Yosef Hailemaryam · 2016
Revolutionary HistoryThis book, written in Tgrnya, is a compilation of short stories about the tremendous accomplishments of women in the Eritreans' armed struggle for independence.
Guerrillas to Government - The Eritrean People's Liberation Front
David Pool
The Armed StruggleThe book focuses on the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) from its formation in the early 1970s to its victory in 1991 and its transformation into Eritrea's government.
Hearts Like Birds
Semere T. Habtemariam · 2011
Culture and ReligionA thoughtful portrait examining how Muslims negotiate Muslim identity in non-Muslim societies, reflecting on their culture, history and lives to address whether there is anything in Islam that lends itself to terrorism.
Kenisha
K. J. Lundström and Ezra Gebremedhin
Revolutionary HistoryKenisha by K. J. Lundström and Ezra Gebremedhin documents the history of the Evangelical Church of Eritrea between 1866-1935.
Massacre at Wekidiba - The Tragic Story of a Village in Eritrea
Habtu (Fr. Athanasius) Ghebre-Ab · 2013
Revolutionary HistoryThe story of the 1975 and 1976 massacres in the Eritrean village of Wekidiba, pieced together through interviews with dozens of survivors over 6 years.
Meqeiro (Turning Point)
Solomon Berhe, Ephrem Habtetsion, Akedr Ahmedin, Henok Tesfabruk · 2014
Revolutionary HistoryThis book is a compilation of short stories around the turning-point event in the Eritreans' armed struggle when EPLF destroyed the Wuqaw Command.
Miriam Was Here
Saleh Gadi Johar, Saleh Younis · 2013
Revolutionary HistoryA story about the suffering of the Eritrean people after independence. Main characters are Miriam, a young woman; her father Zerom, a veteran of the liberation struggle; and her friend Senay. They represent the suffering of the young generation and the disillusionment of the older.
Nakfa - September 1976 to March 1988
Solomon Berhe, Akeder Ahmedin, Shumwendi Oqbamichael · 2017
Revolutionary HistoryThis book is a compilation of stories during the armed struggle for independence of Eritrea focusing on the historically and geographically strategic town of Nakfa.
Never Kneel Down
James Firebrace with Stuart Holland MP · 1984
Revolutionary HistoryBook on the Eritrean war and the Eritrean People's Liberation Front's fight for self-determination and development. Discusses land reform, women's rights, education and healthcare.
Of Kings And Bandits
Saleh Gadi Johar · 2010
Revolutionary HistoryChronicles history, culture, religion of war-torn Eritrea from the perspective of a young boy who becomes a child warrior, showing complexity beyond forced conscription stereotype.
Rethinking Revolution - New Strategies for Democracy and Social Justice
Dan Connell · 2001
Revolutionary HistoryThis book explores the experiences of revolutionary movements in Eritrea, South Africa, Palestine, and Nicaragua in working towards greater equality and democracy after the Cold War.
Sharing Trust - Women and Microcredit in Eritrea
Francesca Zamperetti and Giovanna Franca Dalla Costa · 2007
Revolutionary HistoryThis book analyzes microcredit programs in Eritrea through field research. It focuses on women's participation in these programs during the country's postwar reconstruction, examining issues of female empowerment and social change.
Soldiers, Martyrs, Traitors, and Exiles
Tricia Redeker Hepner · 2011
Revolutionary HistoryAn exploration of the Eritrean struggle for independence from Ethiopia between 1961-1991 and the post-independence nation-building project, focusing on how the diaspora and fighters were united politically.
Suffering Strong
Nicholas Mottern
Revolutionary HistoryA firsthand account of a relief mission in Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea and Chad, detailing the devastating impact of the West's presence in Africa over the past 200 years which has led to present-day hunger and oppression.
The Bureaucratic Empire - Serving Emperor Haile Selassie
Seyoum Haregot · 2013
Revolutionary HistoryDr. Seyoum Haregot served in the Ethiopian government from 1957-1974, working closely with Prime Minister Akllilou Habtewold and Emperor Haile Selassie. He provides an insider's view of the efforts and resistance faced trying to reform the Ethiopian government during a turbulent time, culminating in revolution.
The Crown and the Pen
Bereket Habte Selassie
Revolutionary HistoryMemoir of a lawyer turned rebel who worked under Emperor Haile Selassie, struggled for justice, influenced events in Ethiopia, Eritrea and Africa as an activist, politician, revolutionary and nationalist.
The executive in African governments
Bereket Habte Selassie
Revolutionary HistoryAfrican political thought from cultural and plaintive nationalism through colonial-imperialism, radical nationalism, pan-Africanism, neo-colonialism, and finishing with ideological and integral nationalism and non-alignment.
The Making of the Eritrean Constitution
Bereket Habte Selassie
Revolutionary HistoryA book by Bereket Habte Selassie on the process of drafting Eritrea's constitution after gaining independence in the 1990s, analyzing the public debates that took place across villages and towns over 3 years that shaped the final document.
To Asmara
Thomas Keneally · 1997
The Armed StruggleTo Asmara
Woldeab Woldemariam - A Visionary Eritrean Patriot, A Biography
Dawit Mesfin · 2017
Revolutionary HistoryWoldeab Woldemariam - A Visionary Eritrean Patriot, A Biography
Women and The Eritrean Revolution
Amrit Wilson
Revolutionary HistoryA book that looks at the role and experiences of Eritrean women during the revolution and how it transformed their lives.
Wounded Nation
Bereket Habte Selassie · 2010
Revolutionary HistoryMemoir and analysis of post-liberation Eritrean politics, showing how the country's promise for democracy after independence was not realized.