Angry Queer Somali Boy - (Regina Collection) by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali (Paperback)

About the Book

"Writing from a homeless shelter in downtown Toronto, Mohamed 'Mo' Ali chronicles how he ended up there in this powerful and often irreverent memoir of exile, addiction, and racism. Kidnapped by his father on the eve of Somalia's societal implosion, Ali was taken first to the Netherlands by his stepmother, and then on to Canada. With its promise of freedom, opportunity, and multiculturalism, his new home seemed to offer a new lease on life. But unable to fit in, he turned to partying and drugs. Interwoven with world history and sociopolitical commentary on Somalia, Canada, and Europe, the story of this gay Muslim immigrant is told with tenderness in a refreshing and welcome new voice. Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali lives in Toronto. This is his first book."--

Book Synopsis

A story of a young man's queer coming of age amidst displacement, violence, and alienation

Kidnapped by his father on the eve of Somalia's societal implosion, Mohamed Ali was taken first to the Netherlands by his stepmother, and then later on to Canada. Unmoored from his birth family and caught between twin alienating forces of Somali tradition and Western culture, Mohamed must forge his own queer coming of age.

What follows in this fierce and unrelenting account is a story of one young man's nascent sexuality fused with the violence wrought by displacement.

Review Quotes

"A stunning memoir that will resonate with every queer person who has been through the fire."--Diriye Osman, author "Fairytales for Lost Children"

"A tour de force."--Omayra Issa, Radio-Canada

"Both tragic and healing, Angry Queer Somali Boy offers resplendent writing that intimately grapples with placelessness, identity, and belonging, in all its forms."--Huda Hassan, writer and researcher

About the Author

Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, and lived in the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands before immigrating to Canada as a teenager. He currently lives in Toronto. This is his first book.