We Are All Birds of Uganda

Product Information

Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5m) tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down. Divided into two parts, the novel tells the story of the Saeed family. The first chapter introduces the reader to Sameer, a young lawyer with great prospects. He works very hard and has been offered a job with his firm in Singapore; a career break that many long for. Sameer’s family live in Leicester, where his father runs the family business. Mr. Saeed senior has great hopes that Sameer will eventually return to the city of his birth to enter this business. One can imagine the reaction to the Singapore news, when Sameer eventually tells his family. Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not.

We Are All Birds of Uganda - Penguin Books UK

The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. LoveReading exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. 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.Fast forward to present day London, we meet a descendant of Hasan, Sameer, who is young lawyer at the top of his game. He is comfortable, financially stable, lives in the perfect apartment and just landed the opportunity of a lifetime but everything gets shaken to the core when he receives news about his childhood friend. That leads him to quest what life is about, where he should be, what his focus is. He takes a trip Uganda and everything falls into place… or falls apart depending on how you look at it. The shoebill is a large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey. You really get into Sameer's head and share his stress, anxieties and indecision. The most prominent theme was Sameer's reoccurring conflictions with identity and belonging, which I think was presented and concluded really well. The Ugandan portion of the novel is partly a journey of self discovery with Sameer confronting some uncomfortable questions about his attitudes to the country and who has the right to consider themselves part of a particular nation state. The novel also combines romance and travelogue: through Sameer’s exploration of the markets and streets of Kamapala we get to experience a city that is cosmopolitan and modern yet still shows vestiges of anti colonial sentiment.

BBC Sounds - We Are All Birds Of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan BBC Sounds - We Are All Birds Of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan

I loved reading this book and discovering the injustice faced by Sameer, his friends and ancestors in the UK and Uganda. Uganda is a country I had no prior knowledge of but the author paints a picture of a place of beauty but also of societal and cultural upheaval.... Read Full Review The broadbills are small, brightly coloured birds which feed on fruit and also take insects in flycatcher fashion, snapping their broad bills. Their habitat is canopies of wet forests. The parts of the book set in Uganda were the strong point for me. Set around Nakasero Hill and Kololo, the manner in which the family arrived in Uganda from India in 1904 gives a great feel for the way in which the Asian population became an integral part of central Buganda in the twentieth century. Recommended Reads about Race, Racism, and Demarginalizing History - Necessary Non-fiction You Should Read for Life-changing Insights and ImpactHe has to find a way of breaking the news to his parents, knowing that his ambition of climbing the heights of the corporate ladder is out of kilter with his family’s vision for his future. He’s expected to return to Leicester, marry a suitable Muslim girl and join the family’s restaurant business, not swan off to the other side of the world. It’s such a privilege and an honour to be selected by the BBC and Reading Agency for the Radio 2 Book Club – I can’t thank the panel of readers enough. Like many authors, I grew up with my head in a book, exploring the world from the comfort of my bed through the lens of words. It was after I read Matilda that I aspired to do like her and get through every book in the children’s section of my local library – and then some more! We Are All Birds of Uganda is my debut novel and it is surreal, slightly terrifying and just incredible to imagine others reaching for it in a library – like the books that transported me to other worlds and immersed me deep in their stories, I hope that readers of my book can find some resonance and empathy in the world I have created.” Get involved W hat's distinctive is the modern, multi-ethnic vision of masculinity she presents and the solidarity that emerges from it ... undeniably powerful too.' GUARDIAN Planning to buy We Are All Birds of Uganda for your group? Buy books from Hive and support The Reading Agency and local bookshops at no extra cost to you.

We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan | Waterstones We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan | Waterstones

The switch between the time periods serves to unravel and explore the complexities of generational divides, racial tensions and the long legacy of the destructive British colonial empire. Zayyan also explores themes of family, faith, friendship, culture, memory and identity. Her focus on identity and how Sameer struggles to find himself and life direction is central to the whole narrative. These letters are mixed into the main narrative of the book which tells us the modern day story of Sameer. Sameer is a talented lawyer working for an international law firm and the book opens with his bosses offering him the chance to be part of the team opening a new office in Singapore. This is the kind of opportunity Sameer has always dreamed of. Of course, things are not that simple. Sameer’s family, moved to Leicester in the UK by the expulsion mentioned above, expects him to return to the family home, marry the right girl and become part of the (successful) family business. This conflict of interests for Sameer is then heightened by a number of further events. I think it is best to read the book to discover how the pressure on Sameer gradually grows. The action moves to Uganda when Sameer takes an opportunity to visit a family friend there and explore his roots (as well as to escape from the situation at home). The people he meets in Uganda come to shape his future and explain his past in ways he did not expect. Best Books Set in the 1920s — from Stories That Shimmer with Champagne and Social Change, to Rip-roaring Reads Covering Crime, Colonialism and Beyond.There's quite a few interesting turns in the story and the different impacts of racism in both their lives. Impacts that might be a surprise to those that don't know about the long history of Indians in Africa. It doesn't seem like it's a perspective that's been written about very much in previous literature. The next book to be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club with Steve Wright will be We Are All Birds of Uganda, the moving literary debut novel by Hafsa Zayyan. The book was released on 21 January and Hafsa will be on the show on Wednesday 3 March. 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. Selection panel review

We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan | Goodreads We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan | Goodreads

It is the 1960s in Uganda and things are changing fast. Hasan is the owner of multiple businesses, things are going great but he continues to struggle with the death of his wife. Even married to his second wife and having numerous children, he still cannot shake the death of his first wife. Added to this the new regime is in power and his business and family life gets shaken to the core. We have an exclusive extract available for you to read. We also have some discussion questions for your group to use. We Are All Birds of Uganda The flufftails are a small family of ground-dwelling birds found only in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa.We have the chance for you to win 10 copies of this fantastic novel for your reading group! Please enter by Friday 12 March. The BBC Radio 2 Book Club announced on 24 January that its new home is on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.