America Made Me a Black Man: A Memoir

by Boyah J. Farah

NAACP Image Award Nominee · NPR Best Book of 2022 A searing memoir of American racism from a Somalian-American who survived hardships in his birth country only to experience firsthand the dehumanization of Blacks in his adopted land, the United States. “No one told me about America.”   Born in Somalia and raised in a valley among nomads, Boyah Farah grew up with a code of male bravado that helped him survive deprivation, disease, and civil war. Arriving in America, he believed that the code that had saved him would help him succeed in this new country. But instead of safety and freedom, Boyah found systemic racism, police brutality, and intense prejudice in all areas of life, including the workplace. He learned firsthand not only what it meant to be an African in America, but what it means to be African American. The code of masculinity that shaped generations of men in his family could not prepare Farah for the painful realities of life in the United States.  Lyrical yet unsparing, America Made Me a Black Man is the first book-length examination of American racism from an African outsider’s perspective. With a singular poetic voice brimming with imagery, Boyah challenges us to face difficult truths about the destructive forces that threaten Black lives and attempts to heal a fracture in Black men’s identity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Race, Biography Memoir, Audiobook, The United States Of America

256 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A black guy and his family escape the warring factions in Somalia, Africa and are eventually given refuge in America were they learn from experience what it really means to be black in US society today.

Insightful and absorbing - a disturbingly brilliant story from beginning to end. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rating: 4.7 stars.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, and so important. Made me miss Africa and their beautiful people.

[Gillian Casso Speicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this advanced copy through a Goodreads giveaway. While the writing was choppy, Farah’s account of his struggles with racism in America and memories of Somalia were both devastating and fascinating.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Somali teen comes to the USA as a refugee and experiences how a Black man is treated in America. Unsure what he should think or behave like in America he struggles trying to fit in yet has changed from being Somali. He eventually learns to become a writer.

[Narules]

Farah uses a non-linear approach to share his experience with trauma from war and systematic racism. The non-linear nature might feel disjointed but might be intentional to create a sense of unease for such emotional topics.

His trauma sounded unbelievable but these everyday lived experience for Black men is real and ongoing.

One of my key takeaways was mental wellness, you don’t have control of everything but that is something you can do for yourself.

[Meghan]

found this on libby who knows how long ago and listened to it this month for bhm and i cannot believe how few ratings this has!! it’s so good, so infuriating, and so so important

[Jim KABLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uncovering the Darkness at the Heart of the US - a Somali Immigrant Grows Up

Just a few days ago, I listened to a moving interview by one of the greatest in the US, Christopher Hedges, of Boyah J. Farah. In poetic language Farah’s story switches between his childhood, the death of his father in 1989 when he was aged 11 the war in his homeland and deliverance a few years later out of a refugee camp in Kenya to Bedford near Boston. The racism of US society - most forcefully expressed by the police - more subtly in other contexts of schooling and working life becomes the sickness of his soul - and even given the fact that I live far away in Australia there is no way that I do not know the truth of his experiences over the past two decades and more. And if Boyah Farah knows anything if the world he will understand that Australia has its own racism. I have valued - beloved - kinfolk connections - in the US out of African-Caribbean backgrounds - equally confounded by the US way of turning them into Black Americans - as if out of centuries of US slavery! But their souls remains as poetic and free as if they, too, were from Somalia. I highly recommend this book.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from a goodreads give away!

This book touches base and brings to light quite a few things that others may not see. I sadly have seen my boyfriend who is a half black man have to go through and hear things that other people would not have to. I have also seen and heard him be treated differently by people as well. Unfortunately some people in America aren't very accepting of those who don't look like them.

This book gives personal feelings, views and experiences on not only being a black man in America but also being a refugee in America and what the experience was like.

[Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction and memoir that I have had on my list for awhile. Please note, I do not exactly personally know the author. We are connected online in a sort of Six Degrees of Separation, because knows a friend of mine from grad school, and while he was teaching at a local community college, he hosted a panel at the Boston Book Festival that I attended, but I had to leave early/called home early so I did not get to go up and the end and say hello, explain who I was IRL/In Real Life, etc.

That all being said, this is a one-sitting read of a memoir. It moves fast juxtaposition-ing his early life in Somalia, his family fleeing from the war there, the ups and downs of resetting in the USA and navigating life in America, yes as a young Black man born here must do.

The stories are interwoven and touch on familiar notes, the ideas that immigrants are not always welcomed which is familiar, and again this is my home state Massachusetts, so there were moments that I did cringe, especially moments where he was subjected to awful treatment by his public school teachers. Yes it happens everywhere.

As a young man he excelled and went to college and struggled with his happiness of attaining success, a job, independence, his own apartment -- again realities that kept repeating on him like systemic racism at his job and also what many young Black men have to deal with on a regular basis -- when just out for a drive and cranking the tunes or trying to do an errand -- being stopped on a bogus traffic stop or worse. No spoilers here.

Will say, I held my breathe and the author acknowledges how he was lucky -- he made it out alive where others did not, several times and the realization his fate may not go so well the next inevitable time, etc.

It shows the struggle of someone not feeling free in a country where we claim everyone is free to go about their daily lives and pursue their dreams but in reality not so much.

Short but recommended read well written, thoughtful and yes graphic.

[norcalgal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. Farrah’s memoir of his life in the US is a damning indictment of the original sin of American race relations. What starts as a young boy’s hope and dreams of life in America ends with him returning to the land of his birth because his spirit and soul could no longer endure living in the US as a Black man. I do wish the author had provided more details about his work history which ultimately led to his firing. This resulted in much inference from this reader.
Farah does a good job showing his fear, anger and frustration with authority figures (police, school counselors) while merely living his life, desperately forging normalcy after the violence and chaos of his homeland.
For all the sins visited upon Farah, I thought it was a good thing his mother pointed out that America was the only country which took in his family seeking to flee the brutality of Somalia. It presents the nuanced view that something is not 100% good or evil.
The book is replete with examples of the poetic, lyrical nature of Somali culture. At times straight memoir narrative, other times beautiful poetry. This is a lovely (and quick) read.
Alas, although the book doesn’t end on a hopeful note, the addition of this book and its author’s experience in life in America perhaps could add to the urgent call for America to live up to its promise of liberty and equality for all.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Somali language is unique in its use of figurative language and poetic devices. Poetry and proverbs characterize the everyday conversation of adult Somalis, and for that reason anthropologists call my birthplace 'the nation of poets.' I am part of an ancient people with an ancient culture in which poetry animates the language of everyday life, like food and tea or breathing air."

"'Trust your intuition,' she once explained. 'Never carry any regrets. Learn from your past, but trust your future.'"

"Her devotion to America is inspired by her escape through that deadly forest. Her love for America, like her love for children, is raw and unquestionable. I too love America, but I want America to reciprocate."

This book holds an incredibly important perspective and life experience. Farah is a poetic writer, but at times his narration felt slightly jumbled and confusing. This may have been on purpose, but did not work for me personally.

3.5/5

[Doris Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boyah was born in Somalia, but when war came to his country and with he death of his father, his mother took her children and left the country. She eventually ended up in the United States where Boyah grew up and attended school. I liked this book because Boyah spent part of his childhood in Bedford, MA where I live. He speaks well of his time in our town, but as he grew older and lived in another place in Massachusetts as well as getting a car, he began to experience mind numbing racism.
He worked hard and graduated from college and got a job. He learned what it meant to be an African in America as well as African American, a life that is not easy especially as he experienced police brutality.

[O* · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started so well: interesting stories of the author's life and interesting thoughts about it. But far too soon it started feeling a little long-winded and repetitive, and it never quite got back to the magic I felt at first.

Farah got his point across well: far better than similar books I have read on the topic (Why I don't take to white people about race, white fragility). I can almost touch his feelings in the first few chapters. In a way that was enough for the book to feel worth the time, but obviously it would have been nice with a continuous positive feeling.

Good language and no errors, almost unusual nowadays. First part recommended, other perhaps not as much.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In Somalia, language is everything, and everyone uses poetic language in daily speech.” Boyah J. Farah tells his story in prose that carries with it a haunting set of images and a pulsing rhythm quite unique in a memoir. A child of civil war, he emigrates to the United States with a dream of the bright future America will allow him to achieve. That dream is slowly chipped away as he discovers both bold and subtle racism engrained in the fabric of America. A memoir that is both joyous and devastating.

[Sarah Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A memoir that sheds yet more light on the devastation wrought by America on black lives, and the complexities of having your identity reimagined after arriving in America as a black refugee. The writing felt somewhat repetitive and overdone in places - lots of the same metaphors and phrases repeating in a way that felt basic rather than intentional, but nonetheless an interesting memoir.

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most striking about Boyah's memoir was the writing. Our memoirist is a lover of words and it shows in the poetic way he recounts moving back and forth between his experiences living in Nugaal Valley (Somalia) and Boston (U.S.A). In Somalia he loves the land and in America he loves riding the highways. The contrast he makes between both is as engaging as striking.

[Karris Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a powerful memoir. It is a story of forced migration from Somalia to the USA. It describes in such detail how microaggressions and structural racism can chip away at your soul and impact your mental health. I found the comparisons between this and war very harrowing.

Honestly this was a heartbreaking and heavy read but I loved it. A beautiful book.

[Henry Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s reassuring in a sad way to know that another black man from a totally different walk of life can come to the country that raised me and unfortunately view it similarly. I can’t imagine the hardships that he went through escaping civil war in Somalia. To come to the USA with such high hopes just to be let down has to be disheartening. I enjoyed reading a view from a different set of eyes.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

I often think about my students of color, who have moved here from other countries. They have little context for the racism they encounter. Boyah’s experience gave me a glimpse was a window into what this might be like for them.

[Brenda Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was tough. The author is local, so the geography was familiar. The topic, also unfortunately familiar, was heartbreaking.

The quote I'm selecting is the quote Farah prefaced the book with:

"As long as you think you're white, I'm going to be forced to think I'm black.
- James Baldwin"

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great memoir and one that every American should read. It will open your eyes, no matter your background.

[Nomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important topic. Much to learn. Poorly written.

[Brianne Karrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how he gave such a clear narrative and was able to draw out so many emotions. It made me feel everything with him, at least for just a few moments.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the audiobook! An important voice and experience

[Eddie Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic memoir. Thus book is a great example of the power of telling one's story
Must read

[Burmaa Nergui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Highly recommend!

[potatoesandmolasses · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautifully written, deeply human, brutally honest reflection on being black in America

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 / 5

As a winner of an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway, I had high hopes for "America Made Me a Black Man." While the author's poetic writing style and thought-provoking content are definitely the highlights of the book, I found it difficult to read.

The audiobook version, narrated by Preston Butler III, was particularly disappointing. While at first I thought the repetition of lines was intentional (like a poem), it became clear that the audiobook was unedited in many sections. The narrator's groans, sighs, and giggles before repeating lines with emphasis on different words made it hard to enjoy the book and influenced my overall experience.

Despite the challenges I faced while reading the book, I appreciate the author's message and storytelling. Perhaps if I were to reread the physical book, my experience would be different. Overall, "America Made Me a Black Man" is worth a read for its thought-provoking content and poetic writing style, but I'd recommend avoiding the audiobook version narrated by Preston Butler III.