This Is What America Looks Like

May 18, 2020
Minnesota representative Omar debuts with a brisk and forthright recounting of her life story from her childhood in Mogadishu to her first year in office as the first Somali-American, and one of the first two Muslim women, elected to Congress. She movingly details how her family’s comfortable, middle-class existence in Somalia was disrupted by the outbreak of civil war in 1992, and the four years she and her siblings spent in refugee camps before their single father (Omar’s mother died when she was two) won the “golden ticket” of a U.S. visa. Omar recalls her shock at seeing homeless people on the streets of New York City, and spending much of her first year of middle school in detention for fighting. She describes struggling as a teenager to follow her father’s rules, and an emotional “breakdown” involving the dissolution of her first marriage and a yearlong separation from her family. She credits her political philosophy to her experiences as a nutrition educator for underserved communities in Minneapolis, offers incisive rundowns of her early campaigns, and apologizes for the use of an anti-Semitic trope to criticize U.S.-Israeli policy without backing down from her larger point. Polished and frequently poignant, this memoir confirms Omar’s status as rising Democratic star.

Starred review from June 1, 2020
On January 3, 2019, Omar was sworn into the one-hundred-sixteenth Congress with a record-breaking 100 other women, 43 of whom were women of color. She stood there as one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress and the first Somali American legislator. Less than two decades before, she entered the U.S. as a refugee. Omar's story is the embodiment of the American dream. She was just eight when her family was driven out of their home in Mogadishu because of civil war, then spent the next four years in a refugee camp. When she arrived in America, she knew no English and had lost years of schooling, yet her determined and unapologetic spirit did not falter. In a memoir that is both vulnerable and extremely powerful, Omar asserts pride for the country that took her in when she had nothing and the commitment to make sure America lives up to the dreams it has promised everyone, regardless of gender, race, or religion. In telling her remarkable story, Omar reminds us all of what it means to fearlessly strive for a better life, a better nation, and a better world.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2020

Omar, U.S. Representative for Minnesota's fifth congressional district, reflects on her journey from refugee to member of Congress. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Omar was raised by a supportive family that eschewed traditional Somali gender roles. After the Somali civil war broke out, Omar and her family were forced to flee to a refugee camp in Kenya and eventually settled in the United States. She relates her experience and transition from refugee to citizen, as well as the challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. After graduating college, Omar became a community organizer and worked in local politics. She was encouraged to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives and later the U.S. House of Representatives, which upset many in the Somali community, resulting in her enduring threats, discrimination, and social media disinformation campaigns. Despite the obstacles, she became the first Somali woman and one of the first Muslim women to be elected to the House. Concluding this memoir, she presents her vision for America. VERDICT An introspective and self-assured memoir that unfortunately suffers from a jumpy narrative in later chapters. Recommended for readers interested in refugee and immigration stories, but the book may disappoint those hoping for details on politics and policy proposals. [See Prepub Alert, 10/21/19.]--ebekah Kati, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2020

The first African refugee, the first Somali American, and among the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, Omar recalls fleeing with her family at age eight when their compound was attacked, spending four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before being granted asylum in this country, educating classmates to resist stereotypes, and becoming a grassroots organizer post-college. Then she was elected to Congress by a record-breaking turnout by Minnesotans. With a 150,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2020
The first African refugee elected to Congress tells her unique story. By any measure, Omar's trajectory is dramatic and remarkable: Born in 1982 into a loving, stable family in Mogadishu, Somalia, she was displaced at age 8 by the civil war that killed hundreds of thousands in her home country. She escaped to neighboring Kenya and spent four years in a squalid, dangerous refugee camp. After being screened by immigration authorities, she and her family were allowed into the U.S. They spent two years in New York City and then moved to Arlington, Virginia, where Omar was bullied constantly. Nonetheless, and even though she knew very little English, she was determined to learn. Landing in Minneapolis a few years later, Omar blossomed into a leader at her high school. In 2009, she relocated to North Dakota to earn a college degree, and, upon her return to Minneapolis, she became involved in local politics. In 2018, she and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan "became the first Muslim women elected to Congress." As a junior member of the House of Representatives, she gained notoriety for her grace in the face of attacks by Donald Trump aimed at her ethnicity, dark skin tone, religion, citizenship, and political advocacy. Naturally, Omar feels confused and angered by Trump and many of his fellow Republicans. Refreshingly and wisely, however, she waits until Page 225 before turning her attention to Trump's petty tactics. Her trajectory to that point is impressive and compelling. It's clear that the author has always made her own way while struggling to find her role among her beloved family members, not all of whom approved of her path. Page after page, Omar is by turns fierce, self-deprecating, and confident, and, with the assistance of Paley, she has produced a smoothly readable narrative. No matter a reader's personal politics, Omar's life should serve as an inspiration.

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