Author: Myles Schrag
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733188784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Abdi's World is a quirky place where the only American distance athlete to qualify for five Olympics shares the stories that shaped his enduring love of running and his laid-back approach to life. Abdi Abdirahman arrived in Tucson, Arizona, as a teenager when his family escaped civil war in their home country of Somalia. How the "Black Cactus," as he is affectionately known, stumbled upon a career as one of the world's most durable and beloved track and road racers of the 21st century is a story of resilience, commitment, and respect for friends and competitors alike--told here in a guide that is part life lessons, part training tips, part autobiography, and all Abdi. He has traveled the globe and shared his joie de vivre at every stop, showing a magician's ability to balance work and play that anyone young or old, in or out of running, could learn from to live a more meaningful life. Enter Abdi's World to join him on his insightful journey--and see what happens when you meet his stride.
Abdi's World
Author: Myles Schrag
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733188784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Abdi's World is a quirky place where the only American distance athlete to qualify for five Olympics shares the stories that shaped his enduring love of running and his laid-back approach to life. Abdi Abdirahman arrived in Tucson, Arizona, as a teenager when his family escaped civil war in their home country of Somalia. How the "Black Cactus," as he is affectionately known, stumbled upon a career as one of the world's most durable and beloved track and road racers of the 21st century is a story of resilience, commitment, and respect for friends and competitors alike--told here in a guide that is part life lessons, part training tips, part autobiography, and all Abdi. He has traveled the globe and shared his joie de vivre at every stop, showing a magician's ability to balance work and play that anyone young or old, in or out of running, could learn from to live a more meaningful life. Enter Abdi's World to join him on his insightful journey--and see what happens when you meet his stride.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781733188784
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Abdi's World is a quirky place where the only American distance athlete to qualify for five Olympics shares the stories that shaped his enduring love of running and his laid-back approach to life. Abdi Abdirahman arrived in Tucson, Arizona, as a teenager when his family escaped civil war in their home country of Somalia. How the "Black Cactus," as he is affectionately known, stumbled upon a career as one of the world's most durable and beloved track and road racers of the 21st century is a story of resilience, commitment, and respect for friends and competitors alike--told here in a guide that is part life lessons, part training tips, part autobiography, and all Abdi. He has traveled the globe and shared his joie de vivre at every stop, showing a magician's ability to balance work and play that anyone young or old, in or out of running, could learn from to live a more meaningful life. Enter Abdi's World to join him on his insightful journey--and see what happens when you meet his stride.
Call Me American
Author: Abdi Nor Iftin
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525433023
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed as heroic as those of the movies. Sporting American clothes and dance moves, he became known around Mogadishu as Abdi American, but when the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab rose to power in 2006, it became dangerous to celebrate Western culture. Desperate to make a living, Abdi used his language skills to post secret dispatches, which found an audience of worldwide listeners. Eventually, though, Abdi was forced to flee to Kenya. In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America did not come easily. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin's dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0525433023
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed as heroic as those of the movies. Sporting American clothes and dance moves, he became known around Mogadishu as Abdi American, but when the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab rose to power in 2006, it became dangerous to celebrate Western culture. Desperate to make a living, Abdi used his language skills to post secret dispatches, which found an audience of worldwide listeners. Eventually, though, Abdi was forced to flee to Kenya. In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America did not come easily. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin's dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.
Like a Love Story
Author: Abdi Nazemian
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062839381
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time "A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.”—Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing. Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating. Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out and proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs. As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart—and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known. This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062839381
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time "A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.”—Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue It’s 1989 in New York City, and for three teens, the world is changing. Reza is an Iranian boy who has just moved to the city with his mother to live with his stepfather and stepbrother. He’s terrified that someone will guess the truth he can barely acknowledge about himself. Reza knows he’s gay, but all he knows of gay life are the media’s images of men dying of AIDS. Judy is an aspiring fashion designer who worships her uncle Stephen, a gay man with AIDS who devotes his time to activism as a member of ACT UP. Judy has never imagined finding romance...until she falls for Reza and they start dating. Art is Judy’s best friend, their school’s only out and proud teen. He’ll never be who his conservative parents want him to be, so he rebels by documenting the AIDS crisis through his photographs. As Reza and Art grow closer, Reza struggles to find a way out of his deception that won’t break Judy’s heart—and destroy the most meaningful friendship he’s ever known. This is a bighearted, sprawling epic about friendship and love and the revolutionary act of living life to the fullest in the face of impossible odds.
The Authentics
Author: Abdi Nazemian
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062486683
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 163
Book Description
The Authentics is a fresh, funny, and insightful novel about culture, love, and family—the kind we are born into and the ones we create. Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage, unlike some of the “Nose Jobs” in the clique led by her former best friend, Heidi Javadi. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real. But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking about her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. It seems everyone is keeping secrets. And it’s getting harder to know who she even is any longer. With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally off limits, Daria doesn’t have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of control—can she figure out how to stay true to herself?
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0062486683
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 163
Book Description
The Authentics is a fresh, funny, and insightful novel about culture, love, and family—the kind we are born into and the ones we create. Daria Esfandyar is Iranian-American and proud of her heritage, unlike some of the “Nose Jobs” in the clique led by her former best friend, Heidi Javadi. Daria and her friends call themselves the Authentics, because they pride themselves on always keeping it real. But in the course of researching a school project, Daria learns something shocking about her past, which launches her on a journey of self-discovery. It seems everyone is keeping secrets. And it’s getting harder to know who she even is any longer. With infighting among the Authentics, her mother planning an over-the-top sweet sixteen party, and a romance that should be totally off limits, Daria doesn’t have time for this identity crisis. As everything in her life is spinning out of control—can she figure out how to stay true to herself?
Absolutely Powerful!
Author: Philip A. Ochola
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1453525726
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
"Absolutely Powerful! is a work of fiction; it is a story of an African leader who amasses power and wealth and the effect of this on ordinary citizens. Ochola tells his story through Professor Pangloss, an academician and a journalist who is detained, tortured and then flees to the US on release. In America, Pangloss enrolls for a course at the famous USC in Los Angeles and it is during that time that he realizes that he has to adjust his way of life radically to fit into the American society. Back in Kenya, the professor becomes one of the most popular broadcasting journalists in the country. With reliable sources working close to the president, Pangloss gets a reliable but rare insight into the operations of African Big Men. The novel is sprinkled with serious debate and dialogue among highly educated Kenyan middle class about their situation and how they can come out of it. To make the book both intellectually challenging and interesting, the story is sometimes told with a light touch of humor. Any reader will find the book educative and entertaining. The novel also tells the story a humorous but sometimes reckless young man, Evans Bosire, who is a close friend of Prof. Pangloss."
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1453525726
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 371
Book Description
"Absolutely Powerful! is a work of fiction; it is a story of an African leader who amasses power and wealth and the effect of this on ordinary citizens. Ochola tells his story through Professor Pangloss, an academician and a journalist who is detained, tortured and then flees to the US on release. In America, Pangloss enrolls for a course at the famous USC in Los Angeles and it is during that time that he realizes that he has to adjust his way of life radically to fit into the American society. Back in Kenya, the professor becomes one of the most popular broadcasting journalists in the country. With reliable sources working close to the president, Pangloss gets a reliable but rare insight into the operations of African Big Men. The novel is sprinkled with serious debate and dialogue among highly educated Kenyan middle class about their situation and how they can come out of it. To make the book both intellectually challenging and interesting, the story is sometimes told with a light touch of humor. Any reader will find the book educative and entertaining. The novel also tells the story a humorous but sometimes reckless young man, Evans Bosire, who is a close friend of Prof. Pangloss."
Let's Go Swimming on Doomsday
Author: Natalie C. Anderson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399547622
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 482
Book Description
Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption by the bestselling author of City of Saints & Thieves. Now in paperback. When Abdi's family is kidnapped, he's forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier in the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. To save the lives of those he loves and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the jihadi group's ranks, sending dispatches on their plans to the Americans. But it's a dangerous role and if Abdi's duplicity is discovered, he will be killed. For weeks, Abdi trains with the jihadi group, witnessing atrocity after atrocity. But after being forced into a suicide bomber's vest, Abdi finally escapes to Sangui City, Kenya. Homeless and shell-shocked, Abdi is picked up for a petty theft, setting into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he's desperate to forget. In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399547622
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 482
Book Description
Forced to become a child soldier, a sixteen-year-old Somali refugee must confront his painful past in this haunting, thrilling tale of loss and redemption by the bestselling author of City of Saints & Thieves. Now in paperback. When Abdi's family is kidnapped, he's forced to do the unthinkable: become a child soldier in the ruthless jihadi group Al Shabaab. To save the lives of those he loves and earn their freedom, Abdi agrees to be embedded as a spy within the jihadi group's ranks, sending dispatches on their plans to the Americans. But it's a dangerous role and if Abdi's duplicity is discovered, he will be killed. For weeks, Abdi trains with the jihadi group, witnessing atrocity after atrocity. But after being forced into a suicide bomber's vest, Abdi finally escapes to Sangui City, Kenya. Homeless and shell-shocked, Abdi is picked up for a petty theft, setting into motion a chain reaction that forces him to reckon with a past he's desperate to forget. In this riveting, unflinching tale of sacrifice and hope, critically-acclaimed author Natalie C. Anderson delivers another tour-de-force that will leave readers at the edge of their seats.
The Chandler Legacies
Author: Abdi Nazemian
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063039346
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare to challenge the status quo through their writing. Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Kathleen Glasgow, and Jandy Nelson, with crossover appeal for readers of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep. Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story. Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms. And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin. At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063039346
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291
Book Description
From the Stonewall Honor–winning author of Like a Love Story comes a revelatory novel about the enclosed world of privilege and silence at an elite boarding school and the unlikely group of friends who dare to challenge the status quo through their writing. Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart, Kathleen Glasgow, and Jandy Nelson, with crossover appeal for readers of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History and Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep. Beth Kramer is a “townie” who returns to her sophomore year after having endured a year of tension with her roommate, Sarah. But Sarah Brunson knows there’s more to that story. Amanda Priya “Spence” Spencer is the privileged daughter of NYC elites, who is reeling from the realization that her family name shielded her from the same fate as Sarah. Ramin Golafshar arrives at Chandler as a transfer student to escape the dangers of being gay in Iran, only to suffer brutal hazing under the guise of tradition in the boys’ dorms. And Freddy Bello is the senior who’s no longer sure of his future but knows he has to stand up to his friends after what happened to Ramin. At Chandler, the elite boarding school, these five teens are brought together in the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born—and secrets are revealed. Their professor tells them to write their truths. But is the truth enough to change the long-standing culture of abuse at Chandler? And can their friendship survive the fallout?
Shining
Author: Robert Hillman
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1460703723
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
A remarkably warm-hearted, uplifting and inspiring story of one boy's survival against the odds. Abdi's world fell apart when he was only fifteen and Somalia's vicious civil war hit Mogadishu. Unable to find his family and effectively an orphan, he fled with some sixty others,heading to Kenya. On the way, death squads hunted them and they daily faced violence, danger and starvation. After almost four months, they arrived in at refugee camps in Kenya - of the group he'd set out with, only five had survived. All alone in the world and desperate to find his family, Abdi couldn't stay in Kenya, so he turned around and undertook the dangerous journey back to Mogadishu. But the search was fruitless, and eventually Abdi made his way - alone, with no money in his pockets - to Romania, then to Germany, completely dependent on the kindess of strangers. He was just seventeen years old when he arrived in Melbourne. He had no English, no family or friends, no money, no home. Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, he thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later university. He became a youth worker, was acknowledged with the 2007 Victorian Refugee Recognition Award and was featured in the SBS second series of Go Back to Where You Came From. Despite what he has gone through, Abdi is a most inspiring man, who is constantly thankful for his life and what he has. Everything he has endured and achieved is testament to his quiet strength and courage, his resilience and most of all, his warm-hearted, shining and enduring optimism. 'Powerful and uplifting' Bookseller + Publisher 'Aden's odyssey belongs to our time ... Here is a man who counts his blessings and has an inspiring story to tell.' Sydney Morning Herald
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 1460703723
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 288
Book Description
A remarkably warm-hearted, uplifting and inspiring story of one boy's survival against the odds. Abdi's world fell apart when he was only fifteen and Somalia's vicious civil war hit Mogadishu. Unable to find his family and effectively an orphan, he fled with some sixty others,heading to Kenya. On the way, death squads hunted them and they daily faced violence, danger and starvation. After almost four months, they arrived in at refugee camps in Kenya - of the group he'd set out with, only five had survived. All alone in the world and desperate to find his family, Abdi couldn't stay in Kenya, so he turned around and undertook the dangerous journey back to Mogadishu. But the search was fruitless, and eventually Abdi made his way - alone, with no money in his pockets - to Romania, then to Germany, completely dependent on the kindess of strangers. He was just seventeen years old when he arrived in Melbourne. He had no English, no family or friends, no money, no home. Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, he thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later university. He became a youth worker, was acknowledged with the 2007 Victorian Refugee Recognition Award and was featured in the SBS second series of Go Back to Where You Came From. Despite what he has gone through, Abdi is a most inspiring man, who is constantly thankful for his life and what he has. Everything he has endured and achieved is testament to his quiet strength and courage, his resilience and most of all, his warm-hearted, shining and enduring optimism. 'Powerful and uplifting' Bookseller + Publisher 'Aden's odyssey belongs to our time ... Here is a man who counts his blessings and has an inspiring story to tell.' Sydney Morning Herald
The Science of Storytelling
Author: Will Storr
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 168335818X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
The compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing that reveals how the brain responds to storytelling Stories shape who we are. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and mold our beliefs. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. So, how do master storytellers compel us? In The Science of Storytelling, award-winning writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers—and also our brains—create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change. Will Storr’s superbly chosen examples range from Harry Potter to Jane Austen to Alice Walker, Greek drama to Russian novels to Native American folk tales, King Lear to Breaking Bad to children’s stories. With sections such as “The Dramatic Question,” “Creating a World,” and “Plot, Endings, and Meaning,” as well as a practical, step-by-step appendix dedicated to “The Sacred Flaw Approach,” The Science of Storytelling reveals just what makes stories work, placing it alongside such creative writing classics as John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey into Story and Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 168335818X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
The compelling, groundbreaking guide to creative writing that reveals how the brain responds to storytelling Stories shape who we are. They drive us to act out our dreams and ambitions and mold our beliefs. Storytelling is an essential part of what makes us human. So, how do master storytellers compel us? In The Science of Storytelling, award-winning writer and acclaimed teacher of creative writing Will Storr applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to our myths and archetypes to show how we can write better stories, revealing, among other things, how storytellers—and also our brains—create worlds by being attuned to moments of unexpected change. Will Storr’s superbly chosen examples range from Harry Potter to Jane Austen to Alice Walker, Greek drama to Russian novels to Native American folk tales, King Lear to Breaking Bad to children’s stories. With sections such as “The Dramatic Question,” “Creating a World,” and “Plot, Endings, and Meaning,” as well as a practical, step-by-step appendix dedicated to “The Sacred Flaw Approach,” The Science of Storytelling reveals just what makes stories work, placing it alongside such creative writing classics as John Yorke’s Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey into Story and Lajos Egri’s The Art of Dramatic Writing. Enlightening and empowering, The Science of Storytelling is destined to become an invaluable resource for writers of all stripes, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.
The Covert Genocide
Author: Abdulkadir Ali
Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
The Covert Genocide is the first comprehensive account of the horrors that befell Ethiopia's Somali region during the reign of Abdi Mohamoud Omar-commonly known as Abdi iley-who ruled over the Somali inhabited parts of Ethiopia between 2010 and 2018. In this book Abdulkadir Ali 'Bureida' offers an incisive assessment of the Abdi iley years. His reign of terror claimed the lives of thousands of Somalis in Ethiopia. It lastingly damaged-physically, mentally and socially-a good part of the community. As the federal government's main pillar of the counter-insurgency against the reel Ogden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Abdi iley acted as a state within the state. On his and his officials' orders countless civilians, political competitors and suspected and real ONLF supporters were arrested, tortured and killed across the region. Drawing over 700 interviews with witnesses and survivors, The Covert Genocide provides the reader with an insider's account of the atrocities, arbitrary violence and terror that were the hallmark of the Abdi iley period. Making use of history, philosophy, psychology and his first-hand observations as a prisoner of conscience in the infamous Jail Ogaden, the author sheds light both on the systematic human rights abuses by Abdi iley's officials and paramilitary 'Liyu' or special police and the broad political context, which enabled it. Equal part historical account, political account, political analysis and human rights reporting, the book offers crucial testimony of the Abdi iley period. A powerful tribute to the victims of state sponsored violence, the Covert Genocide is a reminder that accountability for the many injustices committed continues to be wanting. Some readers will be tempted to discard or downplay the findings of this book as essentially a Somali problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ethiopia' former EPRDF government not only tolerated, but enabled the many atrocities against civilians that took place as part of the governments' counterinsurgency. The ongoing impunity of former and current officials and security forces-including parts of the ONLF-continues to be a major obstacle for reconciliation and healing not only in Somali region, but in Ethiopia altogether. Recent atrocities by warring parties in the Tigray conflict are a spark reminder that Ethiopia has so far failed to address or learn from its recent past. The Covert Genocide is a stark reminder that as long as political elites refuse to acknowledge these past injustices and their victims, they are likely to repeat themselves in the future. Tobias Hagmann, visiting professor, Roskilde University (Denmark) and Senior Programme Officer, Swisspeace (Switzerland).
Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
The Covert Genocide is the first comprehensive account of the horrors that befell Ethiopia's Somali region during the reign of Abdi Mohamoud Omar-commonly known as Abdi iley-who ruled over the Somali inhabited parts of Ethiopia between 2010 and 2018. In this book Abdulkadir Ali 'Bureida' offers an incisive assessment of the Abdi iley years. His reign of terror claimed the lives of thousands of Somalis in Ethiopia. It lastingly damaged-physically, mentally and socially-a good part of the community. As the federal government's main pillar of the counter-insurgency against the reel Ogden National Liberation Front (ONLF) Abdi iley acted as a state within the state. On his and his officials' orders countless civilians, political competitors and suspected and real ONLF supporters were arrested, tortured and killed across the region. Drawing over 700 interviews with witnesses and survivors, The Covert Genocide provides the reader with an insider's account of the atrocities, arbitrary violence and terror that were the hallmark of the Abdi iley period. Making use of history, philosophy, psychology and his first-hand observations as a prisoner of conscience in the infamous Jail Ogaden, the author sheds light both on the systematic human rights abuses by Abdi iley's officials and paramilitary 'Liyu' or special police and the broad political context, which enabled it. Equal part historical account, political account, political analysis and human rights reporting, the book offers crucial testimony of the Abdi iley period. A powerful tribute to the victims of state sponsored violence, the Covert Genocide is a reminder that accountability for the many injustices committed continues to be wanting. Some readers will be tempted to discard or downplay the findings of this book as essentially a Somali problem. Nothing could be further from the truth. Ethiopia' former EPRDF government not only tolerated, but enabled the many atrocities against civilians that took place as part of the governments' counterinsurgency. The ongoing impunity of former and current officials and security forces-including parts of the ONLF-continues to be a major obstacle for reconciliation and healing not only in Somali region, but in Ethiopia altogether. Recent atrocities by warring parties in the Tigray conflict are a spark reminder that Ethiopia has so far failed to address or learn from its recent past. The Covert Genocide is a stark reminder that as long as political elites refuse to acknowledge these past injustices and their victims, they are likely to repeat themselves in the future. Tobias Hagmann, visiting professor, Roskilde University (Denmark) and Senior Programme Officer, Swisspeace (Switzerland).