Riding the Whirlwind: An Ethiopian Story of Love and Revolution

by Bereket Habte Selassie

The main events of this novel occur in Ethiopia during the revolutionary period of 1969-1974, ending with the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie.
The chief protagonist, Desta, is a well-placed official of the Emperor's government who is a close confidant of the Prime Minister and is at the same time a member of an underground revolutionary movement. He also has a complicated love life. The tension implicit in his dual roles between his private and public life gives Desta's odyssey its peculiar quality against a fascinating social milieu and political drama. Indeed, Desta, the narrator/participant, has the ability to get the reader's interest by maintaining a wonderful balance between his dual roles.

340 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this novel in the late 1990s and promptly read it. It was one of most engaging and poignant novels I've yet read, conveying a palpable atmosphere of impending doom in Ethiopia between 1969 and 1974. The reader is witness through the eyes of its fully realized characters to a society beset with challenges that the government of the day appears unable to honestly address and resolve. Consequently, revolution comes to Ethiopia in 1974 and the country is turned inside-out.

Simply put, "RIDING THE WHIRLWIND" is gripping stuff. Read it.