The Nurenebi File is a story of a people and a country. The history of Eritrea and its people is told through the ups and downs of Nurenebi (Nur Al-Nebi) and his wife Zahra and their offspring. The author weaves history with personal narrative using historical references and original eye-witness documents of the Nurenebi family over the span of four generations. Nurenebi’s "file” is the family's set of documents that was handed over from one generation to another and was finally given to the author by one of Nurenebi’s grand-children (fourth generation downstream). The author then wrote the book using Nurenebi’s "file”.
The book tells it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly side of history and the author made sure that we experienced the pains and celebrations of the Nurenebis using extensive dialogues, poetry and imagery. Through the lives of Nurenebi and his offspring, the author has provided a great picture of the sufferings Eritreans went through and the fierce resistance the people waged against their successive colonizers.
The Nurenebi File is a great read and I highly recommend the book to anyone with good understanding of the Amharic language and an interest in a human story and the history of the Eastern part of Africa.