Born in Adwa, Tigray, Ethiopia—a semi-rural town with limited infrastructure but rich in history and culture—Assefa Wondim inherited his parents’ legacy and used it to mold his children. 

Zantai (My Life Story) describes, among others, his birthplace, ancestry, upbringing, and how he raised his children, including how he viewed education for his children, his goals for them, the style of his parental control, his commitment to meeting his children’s needs, and his involvement in his children’s lives and activities. Also, the opportunities and challenges he encountered in life are described in the book.

This book may bring nostalgia to those whose upbringing was in Adwa—the history, geography, culture, and their school life in that beautiful town. It may also give the young generation an insight into what Adwa looked like in the 1950s through the early 1970s.