The Shadow King Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Fusil Gras (Wujigra) in Ethiopia and our BookBrowse Review of The Shadow King.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The Shadow King highlights the previously lesser-known role of female soldiers fighting in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War (and in world conflicts more generally). To what extent do you think art is the most useful means of changing existing historical narratives? What are the advantages of using fiction to showcase new aspects of historical experience, versus nonfiction?
2. Characters in The Shadow King are anchored by objects that carry great significance for them: Hirut's rifle, Aster's necklace, Ettore's letters. What do you think accounts for the power of these physical objects? Are there any objects in your life that hold a similar kind of strong personal significance?
3. What do you think about Kidane's use of the nickname "Little One" for Hirut and, in a flashback, Aster (p. 48)? What do you think he intends to convey by using this phrase, and how do Hirut and Aster respond to it?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of W.W. Norton & Company. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.