We Are All Birds of Uganda
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- Create Date：2021-04-14 09:51:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Hafsa Zayyan
- ISBN：1529118654
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Summary
___________________
'You can't stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ 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。
___________________
Moving between two continents and several generations over a troubled century， We Are All Birds of Uganda is a multi-layered， moving and immensely resonant novel of love， loss， and what it means to find home。
It is the first work of fiction by Hafsa Zayyan， co-winner of the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers' Prize， and one of the most exciting young novelists of today。
___________________
As featured in the Daily Mail， Cosmopolitan， Elle， Observer
'You can't stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ 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。
___________________
Moving between two continents and several generations over a troubled century， We Are All Birds of Uganda is a multi-layered， moving and immensely resonant novel of love， loss， and what it means to find home。
It is the first work of fiction by Hafsa Zayyan， co-winner of the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers' Prize， and one of the most exciting young novelists of today。
___________________
As featured in the Daily Mail， Cosmopolitan， Elle， Observer
Reviews
Aeysha
，
Two story lines intertwined， the letters written by Hasan are by far the best parts of this book。 I wasn't a fan of the writing style for Sameer's London life。For me this book opened up conversations with my parents and their life in Kenya as Indians， so I'm glad I read it for that reason。 Two story lines intertwined， the letters written by Hasan are by far the best parts of this book。 I wasn't a fan of the writing style for Sameer's London life。For me this book opened up conversations with my parents and their life in Kenya as Indians， so I'm glad I read it for that reason。 。。。more
Suhail
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How often do you pick up a book and see a character with the same age， ethnic origin （down to the same tiny village in Gujarat）， and hometown as yourself？ For me， a 25 year old， Kutchi guy from East Africa， you can imagine it doesn't happen very often。 You have to understand - Asian East Africans have such a unique sense of blended heritage， we are Indians who migrated to East Africa who migrated to Britain - part of three cultures， and never wholly identifying with any one of those three， rathe How often do you pick up a book and see a character with the same age， ethnic origin （down to the same tiny village in Gujarat）， and hometown as yourself？ For me， a 25 year old， Kutchi guy from East Africa， you can imagine it doesn't happen very often。 You have to understand - Asian East Africans have such a unique sense of blended heritage， we are Indians who migrated to East Africa who migrated to Britain - part of three cultures， and never wholly identifying with any one of those three， rather picking the best parts of each of our three homes across the globe。 So naturally， when I picked up We Are All Birds of Uganda， and saw this story which followed my family's journey from India to East Africa to Britain， I was enthralled。 This is probably the first book that I read in which I needed no context to understand the characters， their struggles， their culture， traditions， religious practices， and even the language they spoke。 Even down to the names of the characters - Sameer， Imran and even Sohail （a variant of my own name！ In a mainstream novel？） are named shared by my own family members， Hafsa Zayyan tapped into the uniquely Asian East African condition， and translated it beautifully to be shared with the world。 The storyline is both contemporary and historical， we follow a split-narrative approach， following Sameer in the modern day， a hot-shot lawyer living in London， eager to escape his family in Leicester， along with Hasan， in 1960s Uganda， writing to his deceased first wife， recounting the political situation in Uganda as Idi Amin takes control of the country。 Hafsa Zayyan explores culture， politics， race and religion in a way that I've never read before - intelligently， poetically， and explores both Asian and Ugandan responses to the Second Republic of Uganda。 This is a story quite dear to my heart。 I grew up with the stories of Idi Amin。 My grandmother was born in Uganda herself。 My father had to flee Uganda along with his sister， crossing the border to my hometown of Tanzania。 They were both young students in the country - alone， without their parents when Amin announced the expulsion。 To see the wider political picture of this told within the novel was something that I won't soon forget。 This book was incredible。 I could talk about it for days。 。。。more
Calzean
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It took me a while to get into this story of a high flying London Muslim lawyer who gets the chance he has wanted to move to Singapore with his job。 But before he goes his best mate is severely injured in a racist attack， his family despair that he is failing as a son and heir and he is confused as to his family's history。 He visits Uganda where his grandfather moved from during Amin's reign to try to understand his past but surprisingly where he also finds his future。The book covers the Indian It took me a while to get into this story of a high flying London Muslim lawyer who gets the chance he has wanted to move to Singapore with his job。 But before he goes his best mate is severely injured in a racist attack， his family despair that he is failing as a son and heir and he is confused as to his family's history。 He visits Uganda where his grandfather moved from during Amin's reign to try to understand his past but surprisingly where he also finds his future。The book covers the Indian diaspora following the British first to Uganda for opportunity and then to Britain after Amin kicked them out。 It also covers modern day racism to once again prove that racism （or is it tribalism） continues to cause hurt。For the main this book was interesting but I did not like the ending。 。。。more
Lucy Caswell
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One of my favourite books ever！ What a beautifully written story。
Onome
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Just wondering if there is a sequel because that ending was not an end！
Susan
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A very interesting story set around Ugandan Asians - some of whom now live in the UK and others who have returned to Uganda。I had no idea how much racial tension there was between the Asians of Uganda and the African population。 Both are Muslim and yet the resentment felt by the Africans for the success of the Asians in business is strong。 At the same time， the Asians look down upon the Africans and feel they are lazy and incapable of business。The story is narrated by two different people - one A very interesting story set around Ugandan Asians - some of whom now live in the UK and others who have returned to Uganda。I had no idea how much racial tension there was between the Asians of Uganda and the African population。 Both are Muslim and yet the resentment felt by the Africans for the success of the Asians in business is strong。 At the same time， the Asians look down upon the Africans and feel they are lazy and incapable of business。The story is narrated by two different people - one is Samir and the other his grandfather who had to leave Uganda when Idi Amin threw the Asians out - his story is told through a series of letters given to Samir。Samir， the grandson is a successful lawyer in London who goes to visit Uganda and the African family who now live in his grandfather's house。 The two families are connected as Samir's grandfather's friend and business colleague Abdullah were close and Grandfather left the business and house in his charge when they fled Uganda。I was well aware of the politics at the time of Amin but found this a fascinating story set in these times。 。。。more
Nisha Patel
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I loved the books contrasts and similarities。 The contrast between London and Leicester， career and family。 The contrast with current generation and previous generation， England and Uganda。 The similarities between his granddad's friends and his friends， between racism in England and in Uganda。 I loved the forbidden love story compared with the lost love of his grandad and how some of the story is told through letters。 Finally， I really enjoyed learning about how the Asian Ugandan settled in Lei I loved the books contrasts and similarities。 The contrast between London and Leicester， career and family。 The contrast with current generation and previous generation， England and Uganda。 The similarities between his granddad's friends and his friends， between racism in England and in Uganda。 I loved the forbidden love story compared with the lost love of his grandad and how some of the story is told through letters。 Finally， I really enjoyed learning about how the Asian Ugandan settled in Leicester。 A really interesting and tender book。 。。。more
Rez
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Hafsa Zayyan is an incredibly gifted writer and you can see she has done a lot of research and put so much effort into writing this book for which she won the @merkybooks New Writers Prize。 For a debut author， her writing style is very immersive and accomplished。 This is the second book I have read which highlights the expulsion of Asians from Uganda and although fictional， it is an important read in order to understand a part of history which is not very well known。In this multigenerational boo Hafsa Zayyan is an incredibly gifted writer and you can see she has done a lot of research and put so much effort into writing this book for which she won the @merkybooks New Writers Prize。 For a debut author， her writing style is very immersive and accomplished。 This is the second book I have read which highlights the expulsion of Asians from Uganda and although fictional， it is an important read in order to understand a part of history which is not very well known。In this multigenerational book we read the story of Sameer， a Leicester born， high-flying lawyer in present day London， as he embarks on a journey of self discovery and enlightenment when he is offered an exciting job opportunity which would move him away from his family to live in Singapore。 Alongside this we also see the story of his grandfather， Hasan， who is remarrying after the sudden death of his first wife。 This is conveyed through letters written to his dead wife and starts from the 1960s。 These letters play a central role in enabling the reader to understand the history behind Sameer and his family and the events which led up to the expulsion of Asians from Uganda and to the people they have become。 Zayyan has packed so much into this novel and cleverly introduces us to a whole host of situations where we see the impact of colonialism， culture， displacement， multi-faceted racism， micro-aggressions and discrimination in the workplace as well as a story of friendship， love， loss， hope， self-discovery and family drama。Islam was an underlying theme in my opinion， and I felt it was woven in quite naturally and in the most part was portrayed positively。 It was interesting to see the religious conflict and identity crisis faced by Sameer and the reasons for some of his actions as well as how his faith developed over the story。 He had certain characteristics which annoyed me so much but I liked how his character matured by the end。If you liked The Family Tree and Kolo Hill， you may enjoy this story too as I was reminded of both as I read this book， although all three novels are different and have their own unique qualities。 。。。more
Avi Virdee
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Blown away by the multitude of issues presented in this book。 Absolutely stunning！
Rebecc
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Although I had heard of Amin's expulsion of the Asian population I can't say I knew anything more about Uganda before I read this book （I even had to google a map of Africa to confirm where it is as Ethiopia is the furthest south I have travelled！） I really enjoyed Zayyan's debut novel - Sameer is definitely caught between generations & cultures which makes it tricky for him to make his own decisions without incurring a shed load of family guilt。 I liked the early contrast in his pressurised wor Although I had heard of Amin's expulsion of the Asian population I can't say I knew anything more about Uganda before I read this book （I even had to google a map of Africa to confirm where it is as Ethiopia is the furthest south I have travelled！） I really enjoyed Zayyan's debut novel - Sameer is definitely caught between generations & cultures which makes it tricky for him to make his own decisions without incurring a shed load of family guilt。 I liked the early contrast in his pressurised working London life with that of his family in Leicester （which felt stifling in a quite different way） & I wept at the scenes with Rahool。 The change of scenery to Uganda is interesting for many reasons as Sameer's natural entrepreneurial traits come to the fore （he is his father's son）， but as with any life choice he is faced with the consequences of both his personal & professional decisions。 I thought for a second Zayyan was going to end on a happy ever after note but she was canny enough to give an unexpected twist right at the end。Congrats to Merky books for spotting this gem。 Recommended。 。。。more
Gabrielle Menezes
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I come from a mixed Ugandan Asian and White family， and I have so struggled to find stories that reflect my upbringing。 The history of Ugandan asians seems to me quite shrouded in mythology and repressed trauma within families that stops us from fully understanding our own geneology。 This is something Hafsa Zayyan handles with incredible precision。 This book both follows the painful history of the forced exhodus in 1960 and also the feeling of displacement inherited by second generation immigran I come from a mixed Ugandan Asian and White family， and I have so struggled to find stories that reflect my upbringing。 The history of Ugandan asians seems to me quite shrouded in mythology and repressed trauma within families that stops us from fully understanding our own geneology。 This is something Hafsa Zayyan handles with incredible precision。 This book both follows the painful history of the forced exhodus in 1960 and also the feeling of displacement inherited by second generation immigrants in the present day。 I was completely enraptured with Sameer's story。 I found that the letters from his grandfather dragged somewhat， perhaps because he is such an unreliable and often unlikeable narrator。 The way that the book progresses is both suprising and at times a little stilted， but it covers such great grounds with widsom and insite and heartachingly beautiful romance for both Uganda as country and the blossoming love story itself。I found the ending to be incredibly frustrating， but I understand the purpose it serves， to bring all the of the anxieties and uncertainties that thread through the novel to a head。 Its a bold way to end， but I think that the sheer depth of storytelling makes up for it。 。。。more
Sahar
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We are all Birds of Uganda is a beautiful book that combines history and the present times， by weaving a story out of two timelines about racial tensions， generational divides， love， loss， spirituality， religion and what it means to belong。 We meet Sameer in present-day London， a young high-flying lawyer， who is constantly in search of something meaningful but oftentimes comes out as a very confused individual。 An unexpected tragedy brings him home which ultimately puts him in a tough position， We are all Birds of Uganda is a beautiful book that combines history and the present times， by weaving a story out of two timelines about racial tensions， generational divides， love， loss， spirituality， religion and what it means to belong。 We meet Sameer in present-day London， a young high-flying lawyer， who is constantly in search of something meaningful but oftentimes comes out as a very confused individual。 An unexpected tragedy brings him home which ultimately puts him in a tough position， as the pressure on Sameer gradually grows。 He eventually begins to find the missing pieces of himself in a past that he has just begun to uncover and an unexpected romance ensues。 Hasan’s story on the other hand is told through a series of letters that he writes to his wife who tragically passed away。 He lives in Uganda and it’s the 1906s era where a new regime seizes power， threatening to sweep away everything he has built。 Hasan’s letters， sometimes， sounded more like a history textbook than actual letters written to someone he loved so dearly。 There’s a lot of exposition in these letters which feels like it was added to inform the readers about the historical events and took away the essence of letter writing。 However， I was still heavily invested in the book and shortly after the first few letters， it stopped bothering me mainly because of how beautiful and simple the story was。 There were times I couldn’t quite figure out where the story was headed but as soon as Sameer reaches Uganda， it picks up it’s pace and is unputdownable。 I commend the writer for coming up with such a delightful way to narrate both the stories。 And this being her debut novel， is exceptional。 I really appreciate how the writer wrote about Islam and spirituality。 How Sameer was drawn towards religion not just because of his love interest， but because he found peace and comfort in it。 And I absolutely adore Maryam’s character。 It’s the ending， however， that I still keep thinking about。 I need so many answers and most of all， a sequel。 But that’s the beauty of a good book。 It makes you think even when the story is over。 I wholeheartedly recommend reading this novel。 4。5/5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Tilly
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3 is too harsh。 4 is too high。 3。5。 I did enjoy this book to be fair。 It was an interesting topic that I have wanted to learn about for some time， and I liked being about to read about Ugandan Indians and post-colonial Uganda in a format that was easy to digest。 But I do not feel like it was executed too well。 Firstly， the excessive name dropping of brands angered me: I realised how the majority of books I read have very few references to modern life and specific brands， and I like it that way。 3 is too harsh。 4 is too high。 3。5。 I did enjoy this book to be fair。 It was an interesting topic that I have wanted to learn about for some time， and I liked being about to read about Ugandan Indians and post-colonial Uganda in a format that was easy to digest。 But I do not feel like it was executed too well。 Firstly， the excessive name dropping of brands angered me: I realised how the majority of books I read have very few references to modern life and specific brands， and I like it that way。 Although the letters in the past were informative， I don't feel like they contributed anything to the book other than thinly-veiled textbook information。 In fact， I found them quite annoying。 This being said， I did like the characters， and once Sameer arrived in Uganda， the incessant references to flying in business class， or the specific sandwich he got from Pret （proscuitto and cheese baguette） ended， and I could enjoy the story more。 I liked the female perspective from which Zayyan wrote。 It was a good debut novel， and Zayyan has a lot of growth potential。 I'm excited to read more of her in the future。 。。。more
Akkas
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I was really disappointed by this novel， more so because I was really looking forward to reading it。 The first part was really slow， and I kept wondering when the plot would kick off。 The narrative gap between the first and second parts really jarred with me as we suddenly find Sameer in Uganda based on a casual invitation towards the end of the first part。 It would have enriched his character development to see how this decision was made， how the family reacted， and how Sameer stood his ground。 I was really disappointed by this novel， more so because I was really looking forward to reading it。 The first part was really slow， and I kept wondering when the plot would kick off。 The narrative gap between the first and second parts really jarred with me as we suddenly find Sameer in Uganda based on a casual invitation towards the end of the first part。 It would have enriched his character development to see how this decision was made， how the family reacted， and how Sameer stood his ground。 Sameer himself comes across as a pampered rich boy （middle class Indian whose family are from Uganda） and rather passive。 For example， the entire first part （154 pages） is taken up with him prevaricating about telling his parents he's got a job in Singapore （and doesn't want to quit his law job and work for his dad）。 Nothing else happens in the main plot。 At one point， I was so bored of Sameer that I wanted either Jeremiah or Rahool to be the main character！ Secondly， Sameer experiences some very obvious forms of racism in the workplace which he does absolutely nothing about。 On the one hand， I found it incredible that nobody who experiences or witnesses the racism says anything - not even the woman from HR。 On the other hand， and much more frustratingly， I felt we'd been led down a particular plot line but with no pay off。 We get to know that Sameer， Jeremiah and Rahool are best friends， but I didn't really get the nuances of their friendship。 Even when Rahool ends up in hospital （which is reported but never actually explored）， I didn't get a sense of their friendship beyond the exposition and backstory。 In fact， a lot of the present tense characters came across as much younger than they are， and I had to keep reminding myself that they're in their mid-20s。 I also felt that the romance element （i。e。 Sameer falling in love） was completely unnecessary。The other strand of the novel is set in the past and told in a series of letters written by Sameer's grandfather to his dead wife。 They cover the period between 1945 and 1981 （end of WW2， Partition of India， the rise and fall of Idi Amin， the eviction of the Indians， their resettlement in the UK）。 I found this part of the novel to be much more interesting， and wished it was the main plot。 （But， of course， in terms of craft， you can't have a main plot set in the past， and the subplot set in the present。） You can tell that Zayyan has spent hours and hours doing the research on Uganda's history， and it was lovely to read these beautiful letters about the fall of a dynasty and a man's yearning for his dead wife。 This storyline had much more coherence， I felt， but I wanted it to reverberate more into the present。 I'm only now reading the reviews of the novel， and it feels like we were reading different books。 What I would really like to read are reviews written by Ugandans！ 。。。more
RaesRead
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𝘞𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘧𝘴𝘢 𝘡𝘢𝘺𝘺𝘢𝘯 “You can’t stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ They go where they will…”The debut novel by Hafsa Zayyan， is one I would recommend， it was an unexpected gem of a read！ A multigenerational family of south Asian， Ugandan heritage and the migrant experience。 It was so interesting to read this experience！Two POVs， two timelines， we have present-day in London and back in the day in Uganda。 One of Hasan and his experience under the leadership of Idi Amin。 𝘞𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘧𝘴𝘢 𝘡𝘢𝘺𝘺𝘢𝘯 “You can’t stop birds from flying， can you， Sameer？ They go where they will…”The debut novel by Hafsa Zayyan， is one I would recommend， it was an unexpected gem of a read！ A multigenerational family of south Asian， Ugandan heritage and the migrant experience。 It was so interesting to read this experience！Two POVs， two timelines， we have present-day in London and back in the day in Uganda。 One of Hasan and his experience under the leadership of Idi Amin。 The other of Sameer a young lawyer looking forward to the next step in his career。 This was an insightful read for me， to read about the expulsion faced by Asians from Uganda once they got independence and the effect and impacts it had in their lives。 Sameer feels like something is missing， he goes looking for it in Uganda。 This book grew on me; I enjoyed everyone else more than the main character。 I found him annoying at times but even I have to admit， that I could relate to him and understood his need for searching。 Sameer's journey of discovery will resonate with so many readers， so many children of immigrants will see themselves in Sameer in some way。 So what I thought was him being selfish， was probably him just being confused and trying to find himself in the best way he knew how。 This was such an easy educational read， another book about “home” and what it means to find home。 It covers loss， love， family， tradition and culture。The exploration of religion， family history and culture was written and handled with so much care it felt so genuineHonestly this novel is written so well; each chapter had such a beautiful tone， emotion and depth。 History lovers， would really appreciate this one！ Covers important themes: racism， politics， class， colonization， history， immigration， culture， discrimination， love， religion， outdated views and so much more。 “In a way I suppose we are birds of Uganda。。” 。。。more
Sarah Galea
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Slow to get into at first and it certainly leaves you with a lot of questions。
Lucy
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One of the most beautiful and poetic books that I have read in a long time！ Hafsa Zayyan has created an absolute masterpiece。 Zayyan skillfully and artfully explores the intersectionality of race， religion， nationality and gender; interwoven differently within each character to produce different morals， ideals， hopes and dreams。 The characters are Zayyan greatest strength。 Hasan and Sameer experience the world so differently and yet in many ways their realities remain disconcertingly similar。 Th One of the most beautiful and poetic books that I have read in a long time！ Hafsa Zayyan has created an absolute masterpiece。 Zayyan skillfully and artfully explores the intersectionality of race， religion， nationality and gender; interwoven differently within each character to produce different morals， ideals， hopes and dreams。 The characters are Zayyan greatest strength。 Hasan and Sameer experience the world so differently and yet in many ways their realities remain disconcertingly similar。 Though the novel， Zayyan also provides an important （and shamefully misunderstood） history lesson on the migration and expulsion of Indian Asians from Uganda （and other African countries）。 With these key moments of history never taught in school History lessons or examined in prime time TV documentaries， Zayyan's book plays an important role in educating us， using the wonderful and creative tool of fictional writing。 。。。more
Kirsten Mackie
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3。5*
Liz
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This is such an amazing book！ Where do I even start？！It fuses politics， history， romance， race， corporate culture， class and gender all into a single， powerful， and engrossing narrative。 It depicts the history and relationship of peoples so often forgotten in most western contemporary literature: Asians and Africans。It was absolutely fascinating to read about the Asian-African experience in Uganda， and their struggle in settling in Britain。 Even more， the author subtly， but brilliantly， highligh This is such an amazing book！ Where do I even start？！It fuses politics， history， romance， race， corporate culture， class and gender all into a single， powerful， and engrossing narrative。 It depicts the history and relationship of peoples so often forgotten in most western contemporary literature: Asians and Africans。It was absolutely fascinating to read about the Asian-African experience in Uganda， and their struggle in settling in Britain。 Even more， the author subtly， but brilliantly， highlights the tensions and inequality that pervades the interactions between Asians and Africans。 This tension doesn’t just play out in Uganda， it also plays out in Britain。 The love stories in this book were beautiful， and at times tragic。 The main love story is pure， tense， at times painful and difficult， but also - almost sacred。 That ending though。 Unexpected。 。。。more
Sabrina Moutarde
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This was a wonderful read。 I thoroughly enjoyed the story， by the time I finished the book I had an invested interest in Sameer the protagonist。 I have been left with a desire to catch up with him in the future and sneak a look into what life looks like for him and his family。 How things have panned out for him。With the book split into three parts with a duel timeline 1960's Uganda against present time this aspect I fully appreciated as it came into parts two and three of the book。 I found the s This was a wonderful read。 I thoroughly enjoyed the story， by the time I finished the book I had an invested interest in Sameer the protagonist。 I have been left with a desire to catch up with him in the future and sneak a look into what life looks like for him and his family。 How things have panned out for him。With the book split into three parts with a duel timeline 1960's Uganda against present time this aspect I fully appreciated as it came into parts two and three of the book。 I found the start of the book was a little bit of a drag for me that said the pay off came later for sure。 I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Kampala Uganda， and Murchison Falls it was vivid and accurate for someone who has visited and will be an equally rewarding reading experience for those who have not。 Fortunately I have visited Uganda， it took me right back and the words came to life in blustering colour and beauty through my own memories and is one of the reasons I was keen to read this book。The central theme of this book is racism， it also explores faith and culture。 I learnt a lot by reading this book。 The history surrounding African Asian Musilms and their expulsion from Uganda under the leadership of Idi Amin's rule back in 1972。 Storytelling this history was presented to the reader through Sameer's grandfather Hassan's love letters to his first wife。 It was heavy to read but the parallels Sameer experiences in present day added to the tapestry of the overall story。I would recommend this book and have already done so。 I am thrilled for the author Hafsa Zayyan on winning the prize and look forward to seeing what she writes next。 It is a cracking debut。Thank you Netgalley and #Merky Books for this advanced reader copy in return for my honest review。 。。。more
Shelly
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Loved it。 Really did。Centering on the history of Uganda and the South Asian expulsion， and the aftershocks that are felt through the generations after， it's a beautifully told story。Explores racial tensions and what it means to belong。Thoroughly recommend。 Loved it。 Really did。Centering on the history of Uganda and the South Asian expulsion， and the aftershocks that are felt through the generations after， it's a beautifully told story。Explores racial tensions and what it means to belong。Thoroughly recommend。 。。。more
Ru
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3。5*Mild spoiler alert 🚨 So， the first half of the book is quite mundane， a bit monotone and wasn’t particularly exciting。 Perhaps it’s because I found the character’s story so relatable。 I left my hometown to live and work in London， leaving behind my family and always have that guilty feeling of family obligation and expectation in the back of my head， having grown up in a traditionally Arab family。 I can also relate to Sameer’s other experiences and struggles。。。 work， identity， friendships et 3。5*Mild spoiler alert 🚨 So， the first half of the book is quite mundane， a bit monotone and wasn’t particularly exciting。 Perhaps it’s because I found the character’s story so relatable。 I left my hometown to live and work in London， leaving behind my family and always have that guilty feeling of family obligation and expectation in the back of my head， having grown up in a traditionally Arab family。 I can also relate to Sameer’s other experiences and struggles。。。 work， identity， friendships etc。 I usually enjoy books that provide me with a new perspective or experience which is why this didn’t excite me so much。 Also， the alternating chapters which dip into Sameers life in the 21st century UK and then his grandad’s life in 1970s/80s Uganda didn’t really make sense to me at the beginning and although it became more relevant in the latter half of the book I’m not sure how engaging this technique is。 I understand the relevance later on but it still didn’t feel like it was worth the effort。However， despite all my critiques and comments， I thoroughly enjoyed most of the latter half of the book。 This is when things started to get interesting。 I enjoyed learning about the history of Asian Ugandans and colonialism told through the lens of Hasan’s story and how it had an impact on Sameer’s life。 It started to touch on history， politics， identity， family obligations， letting go of family expectations， independence， racism。 I enjoyed the romance too。。。This book made me reflect on my own life， my own decisions and the impact of my family’s migration history on my own life。。。Also it makes me want to visit Uganda。。。 it was described so colourfully In summary， this book wasn’t very promising to begin with and I almost put it down half way through， however I’m glad I persisted as it got pretty interesting！ I feel like it could have been shorter and the first half could have been a little spicier。I’m not too sure about the last few pages。。。 I’m not sure I understand them or know what to make of them but perhaps that’s the point。 。。。more
Sandra Armor
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Spectacular。 I loved everything about this book。
Lex
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We Are All Birds Of Uganda tells two stories across two different timeframes and continents， moving between Sameer in present-day London and his grandfather Hasan in Kampala around the 1960s。 The novel uses its dual narrative to explore belonging， both familial and national， as well as racial tensions and generational divides。There’s a lot to say about this book - I’ve written quite a few notes on some of its key passages and themes。 But it’s also been a long day at work and the internet is full We Are All Birds Of Uganda tells two stories across two different timeframes and continents， moving between Sameer in present-day London and his grandfather Hasan in Kampala around the 1960s。 The novel uses its dual narrative to explore belonging， both familial and national， as well as racial tensions and generational divides。There’s a lot to say about this book - I’ve written quite a few notes on some of its key passages and themes。 But it’s also been a long day at work and the internet is full of really interesting， insightful and better-researched reviews than whatever waffle I could currently churn out。 I really would not do this book justice。But I will say this… The novel does a great job at presenting the multifaceted and more nuanced elements of racism， whether it’s exploring racial tension between non-white communities or portraying the less overt forms of racism present within everyday office situations。 Like the coworker who explains Sameer’s promotion as “quotas to fill” （p。20） or his new boss， who is pretty much as racist as he could possibly get away with without getting flagged up by HR （what a revolting character）。There are points in the novel where I’d say the engagement with its own themes comes at the expense of the story’s pace and plot。 However， it is still very much worth the read from an educational standpoint and its value as a literary postcolonial text。 。。。more
Ismail
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Being a little apprehensive in the beginning as this was my first exposure to east african histroy and literature， it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise。 Being her first novel， Hafsa has done an amazing job of amalgamating history and present day life of Asian millennials whose parents still expect their kids to adhere to culture and norms they have been brought up in。 Sameer who was a lawyer in London on fast track， decided to take up an opportunity in Singapore against the wishes of his Being a little apprehensive in the beginning as this was my first exposure to east african histroy and literature， it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise。 Being her first novel， Hafsa has done an amazing job of amalgamating history and present day life of Asian millennials whose parents still expect their kids to adhere to culture and norms they have been brought up in。 Sameer who was a lawyer in London on fast track， decided to take up an opportunity in Singapore against the wishes of his parents who were expecting him to come back and run the family business。 His parents were even more flabbergasted when he decided to marry a girl of african origin， whose grandfather used to work with Sameer's grandfather。 Novel takes you through life of east asians in africa and the turmoil they have to face post independence drive in africa from colonialism。 An excellent read overall which keeps you hooked till the last page。 。。。more
Martijn
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Ordered by accident （I thought it was a poetry bundle） but I enjoyed reading this novel about family and race relations in South Asian and African communities。
Sonia Zaynab
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Interesting to learn the dynamics and history of the Asian Ugandan population。 Important to have books like this to educate ourselves about the challenges and narratives of others
safiyareads
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This novel combines two different storylines which come together at the end。 Sameer is the main character， working at a corporate firm in central London， his life gradually begins to unravel。 Through Sameer， we are shown micro aggressions in the workplace and how they manifest。 He’s British Asian， the son of Asians from East Africa， but knows little about his family’s past。 He goes on his own journey of discovery which shows him a completely contrasting life。 Sameer’s grandfather， Hasan’s storyl This novel combines two different storylines which come together at the end。 Sameer is the main character， working at a corporate firm in central London， his life gradually begins to unravel。 Through Sameer， we are shown micro aggressions in the workplace and how they manifest。 He’s British Asian， the son of Asians from East Africa， but knows little about his family’s past。 He goes on his own journey of discovery which shows him a completely contrasting life。 Sameer’s grandfather， Hasan’s storyline was told through his letters written to his late wife and they span from 1947 to 1981。 The letters didn’t always feel organic and at times I felt aware that they were written for the reader; as opposed to feeling I was actually reading a long lost letter。 However， I did really appreciate the content of the letters in the sense that they showed Hasan’s nature and they also provided important historical details and shed light on what was happening in Uganda at the time。 Hasan’s character was quite hypocritical at times in the views he expressed but I felt this cleverly demonstrated some of the toxic and harmful views held by some Asians towards the native Ugandan population。 His account also gave a brief insight into the expulsion of Asians and the trauma and feelings of shame it brought about。 I loved that we see present day Uganda as Sameer experiences it as well as the Uganda of the past through Hasan’s eyes。 I preferred Sameer’a chapters， which made up the bulk of the book anyway， but loved the historical aspect of Hasan’s chapters。Through this book， Zayyan has brilliantly shown the effects of British colonialism， both in the immediate era after independence and also the much longer lasting impact that was still evident in the present day setting。 She also sensitively spotlighted complex relations between Asian and Black Ugandans and how this plays out in different ways。I didn’t expect the love story that developed when I first went into this book but it allowed certain things to be explored in more depth and it also provided and uplifting element to this story。Thank you to Merky Books， Penguin Random House for sending me a review copy。 。。。more
James Partridge
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Excellent book and a fascinating insight to Ugandan politics that I did not know about。
Denyce
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