Abyssinian Chronicles

A few nights back, I finished reading a captivating novel called "The Abyssinian Chronicles". Highly ambitious, the story follows the tribulations of a Ugandan family from the end of colonial times through the current Museveni regime. Mingled with heavy doses of humor, this novel quickly transitions to crude and chilling scenes, reflecting the harsh realities of recent Ugandan history. Occasionally mired in ornate and lofty language, none-the-less "The Abyssinian Chronicles" makes for a powerful read.

"In his hugely impressive Abyssinian Chronicles Moses Isegawa renders the chaotic swirl of life in Uganda, from a lazy, remote village to the urban rush of Kampala. Containing within its 460 pages weddings, funerals, infidelities, public struggles with corrupt dictatorships (a section called "Amin, the Godfather"), and private struggles with God ("Seminary Years"), this is a first novel of epic ambitions." (Amazon.com)

I decided to pass this book along to Okello, an old callused soldier who guards the UNICEF compound. Early last week, I noticed he was reading a trashy spy novel. I asked him about it, and Okello said books were very hard to come by in Kitgum. There were a number of other people I knew who would really appreciate reading the novel; however, I felt that this novel would be valued much more by somebody who over many years had lived key moments of this story but had probably never read anything about it.