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    Home Is Not a Country
    Home Is Not a Country
    Home Is Not a Country
    Audiobook3 hours

    Home Is Not a Country

    Written by Safia Elhillo

    Narrated by Safia Elhillo and Christopher Myers

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD; A CORETTA SCOTT KING HONOR BOOK

    “Nothing short of magic.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X

    From the  acclaimed poet featured on Forbes Africa’s “30 Under 30” list, this powerful novel-in-verse captures one girl, caught between cultures, on an unexpected journey to face the ephemeral girl she might have been. Woven through with moments of lyrical beauty, this is a tender meditation on family, belonging, and home.

    my mother meant to name me     for her favorite flower
    its sweetness     garlands made     for pretty girls
    i imagine her    yasmeen     bright & alive
    & i ache to have been born her     instead

    Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn’t feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn’t feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone.

    As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen—the name her parents meant to give her at birth—Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might be more real than Nima knows.  And the life Nima wishes were someone else's. . . is one she will need to fight for with a fierceness she never knew she possessed.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateMar 2, 2021
    ISBN9780593343708

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    Reviews for Home Is Not a Country

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      Elhillo is a very strong writer. Home Is Not a Country highlights her capabilities to the extreme. I just wish I liked the characterization and plot development better than I did.
    • 4/5
      I started listening to the audiobook. After seeing a few pages of the book, I wanted to read it in print to experience the format of the poetry. Nima's mom came to the US on her own after the Sudan wasn't a safe place for her and she was a single woman pregnant with Nima. Throughout the book Nima thinks about her other possible identity, Yasmine. Nima is struggling with other people, with herself, and with her place as a Muslim, African immigrant in the world. This magical realism experience with Yasmin helps fill in her blanks and serves as a transformative experience. Her relationship with her neighbor-best friend is special and helps give a foil of living life to the fullest. The poetry is unique free verse and beautiful.