'Mahdi', is a historical fiction novel set up in specific period of time when the author was himself a student in Hargeysa in early 1980s. Characters are shaped by their experiences, family life and custom, but the central thread of the novel is 'underground' student life. The main character is rebellious but fragile, politically-incorrect but an honest street-child who, despite the difficult childhood, defends the honour and dignity of the human being passionately. Written in the first person, the author traces the collective memory of a generation of young Somali students who, for the first time, stood up against the military regime and the harsh response of the regime of Somali Republic during the 1980s.