"We Are All Birds of Uganda" is a beautifully written book that touches the heart. The story is deep and moving, with rich characters and a powerful message. The writing is captivating, making it hard to put down. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

I very quickly warmed to Sameer and his story, the connection between the two stories towards the end was really powerful. I think this is an essential read

This is an incredible which taught me so much about the history of Uganda
This was told in dual timeline which is something I enjoy
The ending was exceptional

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

Found this one quite difficult to read, felt a little clumsy at times and perhaps is trying to cover too much in one book - there are some interesting perspectives but I wasn’t hugely engaged. There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this book and unfortunately I think having such high expectations made it fall a little flat for me.

A rich, poignant, thoughtful and heartfelt book about identity and belonging, set between present day London and 1960's Uganda. It took some time to unfold but once I was in it I couldn't put it down. Incredible!

We Are All Birds of Uganda switches between 1960s Uganda, and present day London. In Uganda, we follow Hasan, who is struggling to keep the family business afloat after his wife dies. In London, lawyer Sameer finds himself feeling empty in the life of his dreams - how can he turn down an opportunity to work in Singapore? After an unexpected tragedy, Sameer begins to find himself through discovering his heritage.

This book was really powerful and I felt myself being transported between the two continents, not to mention I learned so much about life in Uganda during the reign of Idi Amin. This book weaves together racism, religion, love and loss, and is so well written!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It opened my eyes to a British colonial history which I was unaware of. A wonderfully, poignant novel about love, generational differences, and coming to terms with the past. I particularly loved the way in which Zayyan uses letters to tell the story about settlement and expulsion.

Positives:
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✅ I enjoyed the commentary the book gave on how South East Asians are treated in Uganda. It gave such a stark insight into the legacy of British rule in East Africa.⁣⁣
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✅ Zayyan included beautiful metaphors describing how Sameer falls in love. I dislike romance in my books but I enjoyed WAABOU as she created a magical sense of longing and loyalty, rather than just lust. ⁣⁣
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✅ I enjoyed Sameer's views on Islam and what it "means" to be a Muslim. He goes from only fasting during Ramadan because his family did to abstaining from alcohol/haram relationships altogether! Great character development 👏⁣⁣
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✅ Sameer is unapologetic in calling out racism/colourism, which makes his character even more likeable and strong! Whilst not the ideal "Asian son", he is the ideal protagonist! He is challenged but makes decisions to better himself. I love how his strength grows the more he learns about his ancestry and faith. ⁣⁣
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Negatives:
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❌ The perspective mixes between a narration of Sameer's journey in which he finds himself, and Hassan's letter writing to his deceased partner. I would have preferred it if the book was solely centered around Sameer's journey which was more compelling.⁣⁣
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❌ The ending was too quick for me, a little disappointing.

What a wonderful book! Rich with detail and amazing characters. Would definitely recommend. Definitely 4 stars from me

We Are All Birds of Uganda follows a young lawyer called Sameer as he thrives in his high stress, long hours job as a London corporate lawyer, and receives good news on the job front that requires a move to Singapore. But Sameer struggles to tell his family that he is moving country, as the weight of his responsibilities as the son who should give back, lie heavy on his shoulders. Eventually Sameer takes a trip to Uganda, a country his grandfather and father forcefully emigrated from in 70s and he connects with the land and people.

There were lots of things I enjoyed in this book - from amazing food descriptions (I'm craving Indian food now but even more so Asian-Ugandan fusion food!) to intense, complicated family dynamics and a look into a world history I had no idea about. I feel so ignorant that before this book I had no idea about the Indian/Asian population in Uganda, and how this community was vilified during a period of unrest in Uganda to the point they were pretty much kicked out of the country despite growing successful businesses, and calling Uganda home.

There were times it was tough to read this book as Sameer's frustration and his lack of control over his own life screamed from the pages from the way his new boss treated him in his job, to how his family didn't think he should be able to live his own life and instead come back to the town he grew up in, live with his family once more and join the family business (plus give up financial independence and use the family account where the dad monitors all spending, which actually had me screaming in horror). I think Indian culture (possibly to an extreme level) is portrayed well in this book from the point of a modern British-East African Asian man loathe to conform to his father's ancient ideas of what a person should do. There were many times Sameer wasn't heard in this book, and times he should have been speaking louder.

I loved the descriptions and feels of Uganda when Sameer travels there, as well as the moments of beauty and love in Hasan's letters about his love for Uganda. It really brings to life a vibrant, colourful country yet it didn't shy away from the more troubling aspects such as the racism (both African-Asian, and Asian-African), as well as the poverty in the country. I appreciated how Sameer and Maryam had to face a life of being judged for being in a interracial couple, and they had to think about how hard this would be from them from all sides including disapproval from Sameer's family.

I did think Sameer was just a bit of a wet sock type of character. He was hard to figure out at times as it seemed his mind jumped to different things he wanted to do, and when things got hard he ducked out quickly. He went from loving lawyer life, to not wanting to be in it very quickly on his Ugandan trip, and the amount of times he changed his mind about things would give a reader whiplash. I didn't really respect him much as a character, and I just wanted him to have more conviction about everything. I did like how he renewed his relationship with God, and Maryam encouraged him to explore his feelings of faith.

The ending of this really annoyed me. It felt like there was so much unfinished business, and I think this also points out problems with the pace of the novel. So much time at the start is focused on Sameer in London, with Rahool and Jeremiah and by the time we see Sameer make big changes in his life, the book is 80% done so the repercussions are very rushed and we get a cliff hanger ending that just doesn't feel worth it. This book isn't a particularly happy read.

Initially, I found We Are All Birds of Uganda hard to get into and I wasn't sure if I was going to carry on. The only thing that made me continue was that I first heard about this book on the radio and felt I had to read it. I am glad I continued because I loved it.

We Are All Birds of Uganda focuses on an area of history I knew absolutely nothing about, and an area of the world I knew even less about. The author is able to transport the reader seamlessly between Leicester and Uganda.

We are All Birds of Uganda is primarily about identity and belonging in a country where you are considered to be 'the other.' For Sameer, he faces mostly casual and covert racism and prejudices. He is a high powered lawyer from Leicester and when we meet him he is working all hours to try and secure a partnership. Sameer struggles with feelings of isolation and also the expectations of his parents which often differ from his own wishes.

The second timeline focuses on letters from his grandfather to his beloved first wife in 1945. These letter detail his life as an Indian born man living in Uganda, his position as a wealthy businessman and his expulsion from the country he loves. Initially, I struggled with this second timeline and found the attitude of the protagonist in this timeline difficult to deal with but as the book progressed I found the details of the political tensions in Uganda at this time fascinating. I felt for this man trying to make him way back to the country he loved so much.

"We have over a thousand species here in Uganda. Those you just saw are nothing special, common migrant birds from Europe and Asia...We were trying to exterminate them for a while, couldn't work out how to stop them coming back though - you can't exactly stop birds from flying, can you? They don't recognise borders - they go where they will...In a way, I suppose we are all birds of Uganda."

We Are All Birds of Uganda was a slow-starter for me but is definitely a book I would read again and recommend to others.

As we journey across generations and landscapes, we are transported through rich description as we follow our protagonist across countries, during intense periods of social unrest. Discussions of what and where the home is, how generational the impact of colonisation is. Really well done.

I loved the cover of this beautiful book. The author uses a really strong central character to shine a light onto 21st Century multiculturalism and identity. In the present day is 26 year old, computer whizz-kid Sameer challenged and influenced by those around him. He works for a law firm, pulling long shifts and earning a decent salary. He has an apartment in Clerkenwell. The author sets her character on edge, part of him loves the tech world with it’s money. Yet no matter how much he works within this community, he doesn’t really know if he’s accepted. He sits at the crossroads between his ancestors and the modern world he works in. It’s as if he’s in limbo.

We then go back to 1960’s Uganda and this is where the novel truly comes to life. Here we see the counterpoint to Sameer’s modern thoughts on religion, politics and the working world, because Uganda is a country torn about by Obote and Amin. His existence in London is built on a past of cultural alienation and the pain of individuals. That’s not to say that Sameer’s choices are easy. I like the link the author creates between Ugandan birds flight paths and each person’s life journey. Just like the birds, even if you fly far away, you will always remember where you came from. Your culture is taken with you wherever y0u go. The author eloquently describes the trauma of displacement, but with such a compassionate eye. There are so many different things to think about here and so many questions no one can answer still.

Historical fiction is always the best gateway to enter a world long lost or the one undiscovered by you. I love reading books with historical fiction or even books that have the slightest bit of historical references present. But the books with a blend of present and past are “it’’ for me, the way they set a proper stage at one hand with all the historical references and then show the aftermath of the destruction get me every single time. And We Are All Birds of Uganda was one such book for me.

It was the first time for me to read anything from Uganda, I was only dimly aware of the historical aspects of the book so it was diving into a well blindly without having an idea of the depth and standing uptight, miraculously. As the title says, the book is a multigenerational family saga based on the real evacuation of Asians from the country on mere 90 days’ notice and the later hand experience of the immigrants and their life trying to fit in places they didn’t feel to belong to.


The writing of the book is my favorite part of it, the way Hafsa has given every character their time to build a little bond with the reader is applaudable. Many authors fail to make a reader-character relationship with their flat writing and do not so much focus on the depth of the character. This book was otherwise, you do feel frustrated with characters, reached on their actions, and disappointed as well but it all happens with the feeling of being connected with them. The historical aspects of the book were drawn well and o did their part in creating the yearning in the heart of the characters.

The story is written through two perspectives, historically former being the tale of Hassan written in epistolary form presenting the inner and the most vulnerable thoughts and side of Hassan. The love for his family, the longing for the land, the life he spent making a living for, and along with his children on land he always thought he belonged to until he was told otherwise. His yearning and hollowness always had me teary-eyed and thus making Hassan’s part of the story my favorite one. Samir’s part of the story deals with equally deep and important topics. From racism to collecting the fragments of one’s identity. The heartfelt writing of Zayyan made it all too difficult to dislike this book.


Considering this was only a debut book of the author I can’t help but look forward to her future books!

Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. The structure and pace of the novel were right given the material. It was very intriguing reading the story of a population that are 4 times displaced. Hafsa addresses the well known issue of the estrangement of second generation immigrants. What makes this novel exceptional is that it addresses the fact that the immigrant population, were in there own way second generation immigrants in Africa. The repeated displacement leading to a population without any real sense of belonging.
I did feel that a lot of the book was cliche'd, I was hoping for a bit more insight. The Indian diaspora have already added so much to the literature of Britain, not much new was added here. Some insight that being disowned by both Britain and Uganda, and not feeling Indian was addressed..
Images of Kampala and Uganda were relatively superficial, not a lot more than you could get from guide books and a brief visit.
Having been this critical, I want to say that the author dealt sensitively with the personal strife of trying to satisfy self, and family; of becoming an independent adult, of being true oneself.

"We are not natives and we are not Europeans. India has disowned us; Nehru calls us 'guests' of Africa. We are not guests. We are Africans of Asian origin."

We Are All Birds of Uganda is beautifully written and it a book that truly leaves an impact. Hafsa Zayyan uses duel timelines and narratives to tell the stories of Sameer and his grandfather Hasan. Sameer is a successful lawyer, working in London and on the verge of moving to Singapore. Hasan's story is told through the letters he writes to his first love, his deceased wife Amira.

Hassan writes letters dating from 1945 to 1981. He is a proud and successful Ugandan businessman. Through the years, we learn about Hasan's success and wealth, the initial Asian trader boycott, his renouncement as a British subject in favour of becoming a Ugandan national, only for it to backfire on him and the eventual expulsion of Asians under Idi Amin's brutal regime.

Through Sameer's narrative we see how the pressure of belonging to a patriarchal family affects him. His family expect him to quit his job and move to back to Leicester to help look after the family business. It is only after a visit from a Ugandan family friend, that Sameer decides to go to Uganda himself and this visit sets him on the path of self-discovery.

Zayyan also explores racism and Islamophobia, mainly through Sameer's narrative.

What a gripping thriller.

This was a very disturbing but good read.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

I know I am late to the party for reviewing this one only now, but to my defence I am super late with all my other reviews as well
🤷‍♀️ so what can you do, Oana?

Rather than recommending this book with my heart 👇

The book is divided in 2 sections:
First we are immersing in the story of Samer, who is a London based lawyer the only son of an Asian Muslim family exiled to the UK after Idi Amin’s 1972 expulsion of the Asians from Uganda, with a flying carrer and a busy life

The second section are a series of letters written over a timeframe which stretches from 1945 through 1981

They are written by Hasan (Samer's grandfather), transporting us to the far away land of Uganda under colonialism, giving us bits of history lessons, all to the development of his grandfather's business, the increased challenges it faced after independence with an increasing rise in African nationalism

The storyline intertwines when Sameer, takes up an opportunity to visit a Ugandan based family friend, all while he starts questioning himself if a very respectable promotion in Singapore is more valuable than rejoining the family business in UK and making his parents (and his grandfather) proud

This book was raving with 5⭐ reviews all year long, and I am here to tell you that I am not going to do otherwise

This book excels in its description of Ugandan atmosphere, new-found identities, amalgamations of the strengths and struggles of the Ugandan-Asian diaspora seeping through generations, and racism violence

Perfect for the the ones who seek 👆

Many thanks to @randomhouse UK, @cornerstonebookdesign for an ARC via @netgalley

3.5 stars
Overall an interesting and enjoyable debut novel.

I struggled with the first half of the book and found it quite slow. I didn’t really “click” with any of the main characters, or find them particularly likeable.

I began to enjoy the book much more once Sameer visited Uganda, although I found the story of his grandfather‘s life - narrated through letters to his deceased wife - quite clunky. The history included in the letters was very informative but I think the book would have flowed better to switch between the characters and timelines, rather than in epistolary form. From reading other reviews, it sounds like the audiobook version may have suited me more.

I found it fascinating to learn about Uganda; the history of migration from India/South Asia and then to Britain following Amin’s regime. Zayann’s descriptions of Uganda are enchanting and transportive.

The themes of race, identity and belonging were very well portrayed and I found her descriptions of racism to be thought provoking.

I would have rounded this up to 4 stars, but for the abrupt ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.