Avraham describes his family tree, his village and the various names he was given. He notes his family’s close connection to Israel: his grandfather’s brother visited Israel and, upon his return to Ethiopia, was appointed as assistant to Emperor Haile Selassie. His uncle immigrated to Israel in 1956.

Avraham’s grandfather, Yitzchak Adaga, was a well-known public figure and was called upon to mediate, advise, and use traditional medicines to heal the residents of the region and its environs. Avraham gives examples of the various diseases and medicines. In addition to all of this, his grandfather was a dentist, a fortune teller, and helped people discover their fates, or overcome mental illness.

Avraham talks about his childhood, the games he used to play, and his tasks at home, such as shepherding, cattle herding, and guarding the crop from monkeys. He describes local history and the celebrations of the Sigd festival. His father was a blacksmith and his mother a potter, and both were also farmers. During the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie, Jews were forbidden to own land, and his parents had to rent the land they cultivated.

Eight years passed from the birth of his oldest brother until Avraham was born, and he describes the traditional fertility treatments his parents received. When Avraham was finally born, his parents vowed he would grow up as a scholar, and his father began to teach him to read and write from infancy.

At the age of six, he was sent to study at a school about an hour’s walk from his house. Avraham describes the school, the clothing, the discipline, the schedule, the manner of study, the syllabus, as well as the racism he experienced in school. As he already knew how to read and write, he rapidly advanced through the classes. Avraham discusses the competition between the top students at length, and the aspiration to always be the best.

When he finished elementary school at the age of 12, he began to study in a high school in the city of Dabat, a three-hour walk from his house. Avraham and a friend wanted to rent a room to live in during their studies, but struggled to find someone willing to rent to Jews. Avraham eventually found a room and only returned to his family home on weekends. During the week, Avraham subsisted solely on bread or injera that he took from his mother’s home. During vacations, he returned to his parents’ home and helped his family with their agricultural work.

During his time in high school, the rebellion took place and the Derg party deposed Emperor Halie Selassie. Avraham describes the changes in their lifestyle during and following the revolution. He talks about a difficult period of battles between the different rebel camps and the regime, and about executions and the “Red Terror” of the Derg party.

When Avraham reached ninth grade, the Derg party enacted a mandatory education law which applied to all citizens, regardless of their age. Thus, in addition to his studies, Avraham was appointed as the study director of the neighborhood. As part of his role, he hosted residents from other provinces, such as Addis Ababa and the Sidamo province, assigned them to classes and was responsible for the teaching itself. Thus, every morning Avraham taught groups of 20-30 people, all of whom were older than him, to read and write.

When he finished eleventh grade, Avraham set out for Israel via Sudan.