We Are All Birds of Uganda
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- Create Date：2022-03-05 09:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Hafsa Zayyan
- ISBN：1529118662
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Summary
'A remarkably accomplished， polished debut。' MALORIE BLACKMAN
'Rightfully tipped for greatness' SUNDAY TIMES
'This moving tale of love and loss 。。。 is well worth the wait' INDEPENDENT
'[W]hat's distinctive is the modern， multi-ethnic vision of masculinity she presents and the solidarity that emerges from it 。。。 undeniably powerful too。' GUARDIAN
'[A] sprawling and epic dual narrative 。。。 woven together with gentle urgency; sensitive and with a rare perspective on how our mixed race backgrounds can help form feelings of both internal power and conflict。' I-D MAGAZINE
'You can't exactly stop birds from flying， can you？ They go where they will。。。'
1960s UGANDA。 Hasan is struggling to run his family business following the sudden death of his wife。 Just as he begins to see a way forward， a new regime seizes power， and a wave of rising prejudice threatens to sweep away everything he has built。
Present-day LONDON。 Sameer， a young high-flying lawyer， senses an emptiness in what he thought was the life of his dreams。 Called back to his family home by an unexpected tragedy， Sameer begins to find the missing pieces of himself not in his future plans， but in a past he never knew。
'Rightfully tipped for greatness' SUNDAY TIMES
'This moving tale of love and loss 。。。 is well worth the wait' INDEPENDENT
'[W]hat's distinctive is the modern， multi-ethnic vision of masculinity she presents and the solidarity that emerges from it 。。。 undeniably powerful too。' GUARDIAN
'[A] sprawling and epic dual narrative 。。。 woven together with gentle urgency; sensitive and with a rare perspective on how our mixed race backgrounds can help form feelings of both internal power and conflict。' I-D MAGAZINE
'You can't exactly stop birds from flying， can you？ They go where they will。。。'
1960s UGANDA。 Hasan is struggling to run his family business following the sudden death of his wife。 Just as he begins to see a way forward， a new regime seizes power， and a wave of rising prejudice threatens to sweep away everything he has built。
Present-day LONDON。 Sameer， a young high-flying lawyer， senses an emptiness in what he thought was the life of his dreams。 Called back to his family home by an unexpected tragedy， Sameer begins to find the missing pieces of himself not in his future plans， but in a past he never knew。
Reviews
Pri Bamford
，
I was enjoying reading this book， till I got to the last page。 Poor or rather no ending。 The author attempted to be obscure with how the book ends， but in my opinion it is random and almost feels like stopping mid sentence。 Had it not been for an incomplete ending， I would’ve rated this book a 3 star。
Sara Allen
，
This novel about generations of a family that has moved over time from India to Africa to the UK sounded very promising。 It focuses on one of the young adult members of the family as he tries to find his place in the world and within the dynamics of his family。 However， it ended up being mediocre and not memorable。 The character development was lacking and I just didn’t get engaged。 None of the story lines were fleshed out to anything beyond surface level and the ending disappointed。
Brenda
，
Really enjoyed reading this book。 I loved the full circle of leaving and returning to Africa。 Very effective way off telling a tale of three generations
Abbey Hartill
，
I saw a review of this that said “this book gets a don’t bother out of 5 stars” and that sums up how I feel quite nicely
Pip Snort
，
I liked this book a lot。 It was so honest about privilege and racism and the confusion of how to resolve systemic injustice， the blessings and curse of colonialism and the complexities of religion。 Interestingly， it did not offer a solution， for the protagonists or the rest of the world。 However， it was not raw and I wonder how it would be read and understood by those at the bottom of the pyramid of wealth and privilege。
Iris
，
An interesting listen on Borrowbox。 It highlights how widespread racism is and the result of being displaced from one's home。 All the characters are believable and interesting， spanning different countries， cultures and generations。 It is a novel about being exiled and belonging and who has the right to decide where to make their home。 A disturbing novel in places， set during the political unrest of Idi Amin's reign and the awful intolerance shown towards the Ugandan Asian population。 The ending An interesting listen on Borrowbox。 It highlights how widespread racism is and the result of being displaced from one's home。 All the characters are believable and interesting， spanning different countries， cultures and generations。 It is a novel about being exiled and belonging and who has the right to decide where to make their home。 A disturbing novel in places， set during the political unrest of Idi Amin's reign and the awful intolerance shown towards the Ugandan Asian population。 The ending is a bit disappointing though！ 。。。more
Jane
，
This was an okay read。 It felt a bit all over the place which is why I have rated it 3 stars。 I was initially quite confused when it goes from present story to the past。 It’s not only when I got half way through I understood what was going on。 The ending also could have been better。 However， the concept of the book is good and insightful。
Heather
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I realy enjoyed learning about Ugandan history through this story。 I liked to see the contrast between the old life of grandfather told through his letters （or more like a diary， since he never posted the letters。） and the story of Sameer in modern London。 Sameer's character was interesting with him being torn between duty to the family and his own dreams and ambitions。 Then he realised that his ambition was not really what he wanted after all。 On the other hand， when he went to Uganda， although I realy enjoyed learning about Ugandan history through this story。 I liked to see the contrast between the old life of grandfather told through his letters （or more like a diary， since he never posted the letters。） and the story of Sameer in modern London。 Sameer's character was interesting with him being torn between duty to the family and his own dreams and ambitions。 Then he realised that his ambition was not really what he wanted after all。 On the other hand， when he went to Uganda， although he felt a connection to the place， he found that he was not wanted there， at least by the native people。 He discovered another conflict within himself to， that he was drawn back to his religion by his love for a pious woman。 It is amazing how the Indians hold on to their tradtion wherever they go。 They stick together and do their own thing。 Well， the Chinese do the same， and so did the white colonisers。 I must add， the ending was a bit of a cliffhanger。 I am going to assume he was killed。 There was not going to be a happy ending with this guy so conflicted and torn。 。。。more
Brian Njoroge
，
I read the first chapter of the book and set it aside for some time， picking it up again after weeks and I couldn't put it down again。 The book discusses the expulsion of Asian Ugandans during the Idi Amin dictatorial rule。 It intrinsically discusses （post）colonialism， race， religion among others through Hassan- who lived in Uganda from the early twentieth century until 1972， and Sameer， his grandson who is a corporate lawyer in London， battling his family to gain his own independence。 The book I read the first chapter of the book and set it aside for some time， picking it up again after weeks and I couldn't put it down again。 The book discusses the expulsion of Asian Ugandans during the Idi Amin dictatorial rule。 It intrinsically discusses （post）colonialism， race， religion among others through Hassan- who lived in Uganda from the early twentieth century until 1972， and Sameer， his grandson who is a corporate lawyer in London， battling his family to gain his own independence。 The book is well-researched and would recommend it to anyone looking to learn about the lives and history of （primarily South） Asians living in East Africa。 。。。more
Laura
，
I was a little dismayed by the first couple of chapters of this debut; the writing felt simplistic and clunky， and characters had a tendency to tell other characters things they would already know。 However， as the story unfolded， I started to appreciate the way Zayyan gradually layered complexity onto this unpromising beginning。 I especially liked the portrayal of the two central protagonists。 Sameer is a lawyer living in England who returns to Uganda to explore his heritage; his family， Ugandan I was a little dismayed by the first couple of chapters of this debut; the writing felt simplistic and clunky， and characters had a tendency to tell other characters things they would already know。 However， as the story unfolded， I started to appreciate the way Zayyan gradually layered complexity onto this unpromising beginning。 I especially liked the portrayal of the two central protagonists。 Sameer is a lawyer living in England who returns to Uganda to explore his heritage; his family， Ugandan Asians， were forced to flee the country in 1972 （Neema Shah’s Kololo Hill also explores this episode in British colonial history）。 Interspersed with Sameer’s story are letters from his grandfather， Hasan， written as the crisis unfolds in 1970s Kampala。 Both Sameer and Hasan ultimately have to negotiate their positioning between their own exploitation by British colonialists and present-day racists and their relative power compared to black Ugandans; both， arguably， also possess unexamined male privilege。 Zayyan does not exult nor condemn either man， but lets the reader see them as they are。 This book never quite took off for me because of the problems with its prose， but I admired Zayyan’s depiction of faith， morality and racism。 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Dora Okeyo
，
"You can't stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ They go where they will。。。"Uganda in the 1960s， London in the present。。。generations striving to have the best， live up to their dreams， to be the people expected of them by their loved ones and in all， a look into the tragedy of being judged by the color of your skin and religion。It's history， it's the wounds the old carry- the knowing look， the scars that they see revisited in modern day that makes this such a thoughtful read。It's also brought "You can't stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ They go where they will。。。"Uganda in the 1960s， London in the present。。。generations striving to have the best， live up to their dreams， to be the people expected of them by their loved ones and in all， a look into the tragedy of being judged by the color of your skin and religion。It's history， it's the wounds the old carry- the knowing look， the scars that they see revisited in modern day that makes this such a thoughtful read。It's also brought to light， though woven in a story- the plight of Indians in Uganda during the reigns of both Obote and Idi Amin。 。。。more
Andrea
，
I wrote a review of this book that didn't end up being published。 Here it is:The #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize， established by Penguin Random House in association with Grime artist Stormzy， seeks to find young writers telling stories “that aren’t being heard”。 Hafsa Zayyan， one of the two winners of the prize in 2019， wrote a story of identity， home and displacement across generations， beginning with the 1972 expulsion order that forced the minority Asian population out of Uganda， through mode I wrote a review of this book that didn't end up being published。 Here it is:The #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize， established by Penguin Random House in association with Grime artist Stormzy， seeks to find young writers telling stories “that aren’t being heard”。 Hafsa Zayyan， one of the two winners of the prize in 2019， wrote a story of identity， home and displacement across generations， beginning with the 1972 expulsion order that forced the minority Asian population out of Uganda， through modern-day London， and back to Uganda again。 Sameer is a young lawyer in London， excelling at his job by regularly working through the night。 It pays off when he is asked to be part of a team sent to Singapore to establish a new office。 He’s excited to “live in another country for the first time in my life。 A hot country！” While out celebrating with his friends -- Rahool and Jeremiah， fellow sons of immigrants with whom he grew up in Leicester -- he runs into a work colleague who makes a comment about “quotas”; “You and your mates here， you’d all do pretty well these days”。 Sameer is reluctant to name the interaction as racism。 Then， a new manager takes over his team and， upon finding out that Sameer is Muslim， begins excluding him from work and social gatherings， setting up lunch meetings while he is fasting for Ramadan， and asking where he thinks is best for “Lebanese food” despite his family being from Uganda。 Jeremiah， who is black， names the aggression as racism， and Sameer wonders about the differences between both of their experiences in England: “What had Jerimiah experienced that bypassed Sameer？” Then， a violent racially motivated attack forces the pair to return home to Leicester， where Sameer spends time in his family home， putting off informing his father about the new job in Singapore because he is expected to begin taking over the family business。 Meanwhile， letters are interspersed with these chapters written by Sameer’s grandfather Hasan to his deceased wife during the 1960s。 The sharp rise of Indophobia is noted as early as 1959: “The Africans do not trust us，” he writes。 “Even those who dare to venture into the shop despite the boycott accuse us of cheating them， of modifying the scales so that the amounts are recorded incorrectly， of short-changing them and hoping they won’t notice”。 Later， in 1971: “Army tanks had materialised in the carpark and they sat staunchly， guns poised and waiting; soldiers stood to attention， some smoking， some snapping at us to move along quickly”。 Sameer， back in Leicester， is reluctant to join the family’s business， where he would have no financial freedom and draw money from the family’s bank account。 After speaking with a visiting relative from Uganda， and spurred on by his newfound displacement both in London and his family home， he travels to Uganda where he spends the second half of the novel discovering his family's heritage and lineage， making sense of his place as an Asian in Uganda where， even 50 years after the expulsion order， anti-Asian hatred is still rife。 He is called muzungu， a white person， by children on the streets。 “You are a foreigner，” Maryam， a woman with whom he is falling in love， tells him。 She explains the impact of Chinese immigration on the country， how Ugandans are being “pushed out” by Chinese businesses who import products cheaply and sell them at the same rate。 It doesn’t matter that Sameer is not Chinese， or white， just that he is Asian。 There are complex issues of race that span generations explored thoroughly and with care in We Are All Birds of Uganda。 From small gestures and comments to violent attacks， racism and its effects colour many of the novel’s relationships。 At the heart is a quest for understanding roots， lineage， culture， displacement and the empires that are built on causing divisions in post-colonial spaces。 As Sameer searches for himself in Uganda， he finds love with a woman， and with a country that is both cosmopolitan and ancient。 There are no easy answers， no truly safe spaces for a person displaced by generations of colonial movement， and as the novel ends on a note of uncertainty， we hope that Sameer finds his way home -- wherever that is。 。。。more
Cathy Eades
，
Honestly， I've literally just finished the book and I don't know what to say。 What just happened？ You can't do this to me！ This is a beautifully written book。 The language is perfect for the book。 The author captures the setting and emotions perfectly。 Sameer is a really likeable character。 He is flawed and he makes mistakes， but he is wholesome too。 His relationship with his father is quite brutal at times but it sits nicely alongside his relationship with God。 His work colleagues are so easy t Honestly， I've literally just finished the book and I don't know what to say。 What just happened？ You can't do this to me！ This is a beautifully written book。 The language is perfect for the book。 The author captures the setting and emotions perfectly。 Sameer is a really likeable character。 He is flawed and he makes mistakes， but he is wholesome too。 His relationship with his father is quite brutal at times but it sits nicely alongside his relationship with God。 His work colleagues are so easy to picture and the casual racism in the workplace is painfully explored。 I also liked how the racism Sameer experiences is contrasted with the comments in his grandfather's letters。 There were times， at the start， when I was a little less interested in his grandfather's letters， but as the pace quickened they revealed much more。 This isn't an explosive book。 There is no massive secret， or event （and yes I thought he was going to get git by lightening）， rather a build up much akin to the build up in Sameers life。 Overall I really enjoyed this book。 A break from the norm for me but it's made me want to read more fiction set in the era of Amin。 An important book and a life affirming one。 But the ending！ Crap， I feel suddenly empty， lost， confused， I need to know。 。。。more
Mugizi Niwo
，
As a Ugandan， it sort of hurt to read it。 I felt that she diluted the Ugandan spirit into little anecdotes told through the eyes of a foreigner - the deer references（roll eyes）， the calling of Ugandans Africans as if being Ugandan is being African and being African is being African？ I mean seriously people what does being African mean？ Dilution that's what it means。But truth is you can say the same of a whole bunch of books。 If you needed to know the full story of anything before you wrote it， n As a Ugandan， it sort of hurt to read it。 I felt that she diluted the Ugandan spirit into little anecdotes told through the eyes of a foreigner - the deer references（roll eyes）， the calling of Ugandans Africans as if being Ugandan is being African and being African is being African？ I mean seriously people what does being African mean？ Dilution that's what it means。But truth is you can say the same of a whole bunch of books。 If you needed to know the full story of anything before you wrote it， nothing would get written。 Maybe it is just the pain of reading the ugly side of my country - there are so few books that write about Uganda anyway - that hurts， that bites。 She does give a voice to the story that was the expulsion and that was cool to read。 。。。more
Kathambi Gichunge
，
Oh wow， this is one book that I never read and couldn’t stop thinking about。 The generational struggle in terms of choices that may seem different but pretty much the same。 I have so much to say about this book。 For now I’ll just say， I’m glad I picked it up。
Jill Schroeder
，
Against the trend but I didn't love this book。 While it was interesting to learn more about Uganda and the treatment of the Indian population there and a personal story of being forced to leave， I'm not sure what it was ultimately saying about this racism。 Does anyone belong anywhere？ Against the trend but I didn't love this book。 While it was interesting to learn more about Uganda and the treatment of the Indian population there and a personal story of being forced to leave， I'm not sure what it was ultimately saying about this racism。 Does anyone belong anywhere？ 。。。more
Umbar
，
I’ve been quietly lurking for a few weeks but this floored me and I had to pop in to say this has to make your 2022 tbr pile。 Such a stunning， vivid novel and I can’t believe it’s a debut。 The descriptions triggered just an avalanche of memories and I really enjoyed talking to mum and dad about the south Asian expulsions in east Africa。
Bintbooks
，
4。5What an amazing book for a first time author。 It touches on issues of race， colourism and identity that people struggle with。 I had never heard of the South Asian expulsion from Uganda until reading this book subhanallah。 Definitely worth a read。
Michelle Mclean
，
A beautifully told story， spanning generations，cultures and continents。 The rich detail is transportive， the characters are complex and the dual narrative （alternating between past and present） adds intrigue。 I was totally immersed from the very first chapter。 One star lost as the ending left me dissatisfied。
Alanna Shand
，
A moving novel discussing themes such as love， loss， identity， and race。 Initially， I felt indifference towards the main protagonist however， by the end of the novel， Sameer undergoes such character growth that the reader feels extremely fond of him。 I loved seeing how the narrative of Sameer his grandfather intertwined。 I only wished the final chapter didn’t seem rushed - a lot of plot was put into the final few pages and then was not fully explored。
Bookish Melba
，
I really loved this book。 Almost felt like i was there experiencing with the characters what they went through。 A beautiful and not so beautiful way to know of Uganda。 Overall a beautiful story， i loved the build up between Maryam as Sameer。 The ending though was shitty！ I’m not sure why the author decided that。 Major cliffhanger！！！
Keith Miller
，
I really enjoyed this book。 It explored racial tensions in England （white / non white） and Uganda （black / Asian） and how colonialism has contributed to the situation in modern day Uganda。 The relationships in the two families were quite a revelation to me - I feel I have a greater understanding of the extended family， its loyalties and expectations than before I read this excellent book。Sameer was very much trying to find where he fitted in the world - an outsider wherever he went， he found his I really enjoyed this book。 It explored racial tensions in England （white / non white） and Uganda （black / Asian） and how colonialism has contributed to the situation in modern day Uganda。 The relationships in the two families were quite a revelation to me - I feel I have a greater understanding of the extended family， its loyalties and expectations than before I read this excellent book。Sameer was very much trying to find where he fitted in the world - an outsider wherever he went， he found his true home in the woman he loved。 There was no way this book could have a tidy ending - sameer has to make choices - and there was no option that could satisfy everyone- I rather like the fact that the book reflected this rather than trying to wrap up a false ending。I was left confused by the last paragraph of the book - and how it actually ended - but that just gives me something to ponder in the days to come。I learnt much about Uganda， idi amin，s rule and what he did to the country - something I had an awareness of but never really understood the extent of， as I grew up。Overall， a love story depicting a young man struggling to get to grips with his identity who falls for a woman who has clear values and sense of being。 The background of the families giving you a great insight to why they were as they were。 An excellent story， well written and an author I will look out for in future。 Outstanding。 。。。more
Wamuyu Thoithi
，
DNF。 The pacing of this books is crap。 4 stars for concept， 0 stars for execution。 The writing favours a high school composition。 I tried for weeks to get into it， and not every book has to be a page-turner， but over 100 pages in and it still has not picked up。 I gave it an honest attempt。 But ain’t nobody got time。
Katie
，
4。5* Some of the corporate law aspects of this book hit a little too close to home
Julia
，
4。5* but truly deserves to be rounded up lol
Pauline
，
A beautiful， engaging novel which took me on a wonderful journey。 I didn't want to put down the book， I look forward to readingmore from this author。 A beautiful， engaging novel which took me on a wonderful journey。 I didn't want to put down the book， I look forward to readingmore from this author。 。。。more
Yvonne Anampiu
，
Quick read， interesting take on Indians during the Iddi Amin rule。
Deirdre Yates
，
Listened to this well read story on BorrowBox and enjoyed it。 Knew nothing of Asians in Uganda or the Idi Amin times and got insight into some of the pride and prejudices involved。 Also informative depiction of Muslim and non whites experience in UK。 Ending however was disappointing。 （didn’t read twice - but can’t seem to amend！）
Fran
，
Really interesting to think about who is being selfish， when parents want chidren to join the family business "after all they have sacrificed for them。" v children who want to set their own path。 Also on issues of race we find those that have experienced racism are also quite willing to discrimate on race when they have the upper hand。 Really interesting to think about who is being selfish， when parents want chidren to join the family business "after all they have sacrificed for them。" v children who want to set their own path。 Also on issues of race we find those that have experienced racism are also quite willing to discrimate on race when they have the upper hand。 。。。more
Leah
，