The Abiy Project

'Groundbreaking ... Its every page eye-opening, The Abiy Project is a testament to truth, justice, and human dignity during a hellish period of Ethiopian history.'

-- Los Angeles Review of Books

'The tale Gardner tells is a tragedy of how magical thinking led to extraordinary brutality and mass starvation. And the story is not over.'

-- Literary Review

'An intimate, unsettling portrait of the man who would be emperor [...] a compelling analysis.'

-- Mail & Guardian

'A nuanced, unsparing examination of a leader trying to hold together a republic being undone by its imperial legacy.'

-- African Arguments

'[This] will serve as a standard book about this remarkable leader for a long time to come.' 

-- NRC

'Tom Gardner is an exceptional journalist, and this essential book showcases his intelligence, thoughtfulness and considerable writing skills.'

-- Fergal Keane, former Africa Editor, BBC News

'This is "the" book on Abiy Ahmed, the ambitious and messianic leader of Ethiopia. Gardner assembles the complex pieces in the Ethiopian puzzle, making this essential reading for anyone hoping to understand the causes of the past, present and future conflicts of the Horn of Africa.'

-- Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer, The New Yorker

'The rise, fall and rise of Abiy Ahmed, Nobel Peace Prize winner and prosecutor of one of the world's bloodiest civil wars, is a compelling and confusing tale of our age with ramifications well beyond Ethiopia. We could wish for no better guide than Tom Gardner, who knows the story inside out and who conveys it in clear, crisp prose and with trenchant analysis.'

-- David Pilling, Africa Editor, Financial Times

'A very important work, packed full of detail and nuance, which will remain a must-read for anyone who is seriously interested in the Horn of Africa for decades to come. I learn something I didn't know with every page.'

-- Michela Wrong, journalist and author of Borderlines and Do Not Disturb

'A riveting, detailed autopsy of Ethiopia’s heartbreaking journey to the brink of state collapse in a mere five years. Essential reading—even for a seasoned Ethiopia observer—to fully comprehend the myriad factors that have led to wanton bloodshed and human suffering under the watch of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning prime minister.'

-- Zecharias Zelalem, award-winning journalist and Ethiopian press freedom advocate

'Skilfully woven together with a journalist's eye for detail, a historian's knack for perspective, and a storyteller's gift for making a complex story accessible, this sobering account of Ethiopia's recent history is poised to become required reading for future scholars, diplomats, and policymakers.'

-- Abadir M. Ibrahim, Associate Director, Human Rights Programme, Harvard Law School

'An outstanding book, which will serve as a foundational text for anyone seeking to understand the complex developments in Ethiopia since the installation of its new prime minister.'

-- Christopher Clapham, Professor Emeritus, Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge

'An important book that sheds new light on a complex and controversial chapter of Ethiopia’s recent past. Analysts of Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa will read, engage and debate its insights for years to come.'

-- Michael Woldemariam, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

'This is excellent. The book is not simply an account of the war; it tells of Abiy's career in all its dimensions and ramifications--political, economic, social, ethnic, religious, diplomatic, all handled superbly.'

-- Paul Gifford, Professor Emeritus, SOAS University of London

'A very important work, packed full of detail and nuance, which will remain a must-read for anyone who is seriously interested in the Horn of Africa for decades to come. I learn something I didn't know with every page.'

-- Michela Wrong, journalist and author of Borderlines and Do Not Disturb