junglejelly's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I was absolutely blown away by this book. What an incredible debut!
The writing was great, the character development amazing and the scenery descriptions beautiful.
I was hooked from the start. What a story and what a range of topics explored and using characters who were complex but felt real.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.
The writing was great, the character development amazing and the scenery descriptions beautiful.
I was hooked from the start. What a story and what a range of topics explored and using characters who were complex but felt real.
I would thoroughly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Deportation
Minor: War, Islamophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
laurao's review
There are two protagonists. The modern one is entirely written in passive voice and never takes control of his life. The one in the past is a hypocrite. It was a grating read. I wanted a book to learn about the history of Uganda and someone recommended this book to me, but the subject matter in Uganda is very specific and I have no way to put it in context yet.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Police brutality, Colonisation, Sexism, Racial slurs, and Deportation
Minor: Pregnancy, Violence, Murder, Blood, and Religious bigotry
The content warnings are all relevant to the story either as part of history or part of culture.ludivinev's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Violence
monty_mo's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Violence and Islamophobia
qqjj's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Colonisation, Violence, Medical content, Racism, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry
littlebluebike's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Hate crime
serendipitysbooks's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
We are all Birds of Uganda was a thoroughly enjoyable read for me. It unfolds in a dual timeline narrative. Sameer is a high-flying lawyer working in contemporary London but considering a move to Singapore, despite knowing it is going to really upset his traditional Muslim parents. Interspersed with Sameer’s chapters are letters from Sameer’s grandfather, Hasan, to his dead wife. They cover a key period in Ugandan history where South East Asians were stripped of their citizenship and forced out of the country, even if they had been born in Uganda and didn’t have citizenship elsewhere. On a visit to his parents Sameer meets a family friend and business associate from Uganda. Feeling very dissatisfied with his life he then decides to take a quick trip to Uganda, where he learns a lot more about his family history and where the two storylines come together.
This was a well-written story which incorporated many themes and tropes I tend to enjoy. It’s historical fiction with family conflict and a love story and explores themes such as family (especially the clash between family obligation and one’s personal wishes), community, belonging, identity, immigration, racism, religious prejudice, and the meaning of success. I thought the process of Sameer slowly realising the religious and racial prejudice he faced but had previously been able to ignore was well presented. The position of South East Asians in Ugandan society was handled in a very nuanced way, highlighting the way the were treated badly by the British colonial powers and by Amin’s administration while also exploring their own racism towards indigenous Africans and the harm they caused to them. Sameer’s efforts to establish a juice business was a great example. I also really enjoyed visiting Kampala with Sameer - the vivid descriptions invoking all the senses really brought the city alive for me.
This would make a great book flight with Kololo Hill which I read earlier this year since the both explore a similar topic - South East Asians expelled from Uganda and having to establish themselves in the UK - but have slightly differing emphases.
This was a well-written story which incorporated many themes and tropes I tend to enjoy. It’s historical fiction with family conflict and a love story and explores themes such as family (especially the clash between family obligation and one’s personal wishes), community, belonging, identity, immigration, racism, religious prejudice, and the meaning of success. I thought the process of Sameer slowly realising the religious and racial prejudice he faced but had previously been able to ignore was well presented. The position of South East Asians in Ugandan society was handled in a very nuanced way, highlighting the way the were treated badly by the British colonial powers and by Amin’s administration while also exploring their own racism towards indigenous Africans and the harm they caused to them. Sameer’s efforts to establish a juice business was a great example. I also really enjoyed visiting Kampala with Sameer - the vivid descriptions invoking all the senses really brought the city alive for me.
This would make a great book flight with Kololo Hill which I read earlier this year since the both explore a similar topic - South East Asians expelled from Uganda and having to establish themselves in the UK - but have slightly differing emphases.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Violence
signediza's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Hate crime, and Cursing
freyreads's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs and Violence
More...