Reviews

Fairytales for Lost Children by Diriye Osman

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africanbookaddict's review against another edition

5.0

!!! Review here: https://africanbookaddict.com/2016/04/22/fairytales-for-lost-children-by-diriye-osman/

*sigh*
Raw, erotic, sassy, exciting, vivid, devastating, liberating. This has got to be the ultimate LGBTQ- themed African lit novel out there. I enjoyed and remember every single one of these stories (11 stories in all). Until I read another LGBTQ themed African fiction novel, this is my number 1. I can't recommend this enough. I truly admire Diriye Osman.

electri7's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

hudamo's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

laura_sackton's review against another edition

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This is my second Osman book.
I love his language! So alive.
So many small moments of big life.

lunabbly's review against another edition

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5.0

A delicious read on queer love, twisting Eurocentric fairytales and critiquing the whitewashing of some fairytales through an innocent child's perspective, radicalizing the idea of family, sex, pleasure, and freedom.

Some of the stories that stood out to me and why:

"Watering the Imagination"
I would love to imagine what it would look like and mean to have a supportive parent who accepts their child for who they are and their queer loves.

"Fairytales for Lost Children"
When I first read it, I was very confused about the story and what "lessons" it was trying to teach us. The backdrop tells us about the war in Somalia, family separation, and baboon in trees. The main character in this short denies his teacher's retelling of western fairytales, says he doesn't like how the teacher makes the characters Kenyan or gives them a Kenyan twist. When he discloses this with Ivar, a friend, Ivar asks whether or not "he's a refugee" or a euphemism for "is he a lost child to western imperialism and whitewashing?" To which the main character begins to cry.

The death of Ivar was sudden and incredibly heartbreaking as the main character describes how he fell head-first and heard his bones crunch up. I think this gruesome ending was purposeful in illustrating the falsehood that whitewashed fairytales often paint -- that we don't end up with happy endings, that we're punished for loving the people we love instead.

Shoga
A quote that stood out to me because it made me laugh:
"'Where would you go?'
'Somewhere exotic like England.'" (39)

Pavilion
The pure ability to sabotage like that... Iconic!!! And then to be confronted by the same bully and tyrant years later and still act composed -- still offer something of yours to this person. Incredibly iconic.

Ndambi
2 quotes that stood out to me:
"In the end something gives way. The earth doesn't move but something shifts. That shift is change and change is the layman's lingo for that elusive state that lovers, dreamers, prophets, and politicians call 'freedom'" (74).

"Home is in my hair, my lips, my arms, my thighs, my feet, and hands. I am my own home. And when I wake up crying in the morning, thinking about how lonely I am, I pinch my skin, tear at my hair, remind myself I am alive. Remind myself that it's all about forward motion. It's all about change. It's all about that elusive state. Freedom" (74).

Earthling
Was such a powerful story about letting family go, even if you still love and care for them. You can let go of toxic family members.

Your Silence Will Not Protect You
Another story about letting biological family go -- even if you care and love for them. It's okay to let them go and move on, choose a different family -- find a chosen family, and acknowledge that you may have came from them or share blood/physical qualities and features, but it's fine to let them go. If they're asking for silence, for you to be silent about who you are and to shut off parts of yourself in order to spare their pride, then let them go.

All in all, I recommend!!!

raeanne's review against another edition

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4.0

Content Warning: Homophobia, Hate Crimes, Psychotic Episodes, MC uses "Tranny" as an insult,

This is a fantastic group of short stories. Every one stars a different Somalian in either Kenya, Somalia, or South London. There are also beautiful black drawings to accompany each story. Also, I don't know what the binding and cover is made of but I absolutely love it. It still looks beautiful after living in my purse for so long as I read it in starts and fits.

Being a short story collection, it jumps and changes but I noticed the first stories start with children and progress into adulthood. The final story is only a page and a half about two grown established men loving fiercly and proudly.

Fairytales for Lost Children contains nothing typical. There is no royalty or treasures. That alone speaks volumes about the Muslim QUILTBAG Somalian experience.

As such, it will not be light and fluffy reading. This hits hard in vulnerable spots but leaves hope among the scars.

Fairytales does contain graphic detail for sex, but it fits the stories and is a rebellious act to reclaim the part your country, your people, and your religion wants to circumcise. You might even find yourself liking it ;)

Since I don't typically read short stories and because of the the content, I took a break after each story. It really helped resolve my lingering problem of "What happens next?" and for the stories to permeate and settle.

Each tale is striking. The writing is strong, the characters jump from the page, the dialogue is laced with their natural slang, and is a testament to their pain, resilience, and voice.

It isn't dumbed down or explained, it comes through in context and demands the reader learn and acknowledge their experiences.

As I said in my Goodreads update, this is what diverse books is all about.

Important to Note:
There are two stories towards the end where the MC is schizophrenic and I really want to emphasize that while working on being fulfilled and at peace as a person will help, this isn't the kind of problem that just goes away. Each of them were on medicine and stayed on meds. It's not "make the world a better place and this won't happen to people kind of thing".

There is also one story where the MC is struggling with being an effeminate gay man and expressing both sides of himself. He along with his best friend use the word "tranny" as an insult with no debunking or anything. It's just there and apparently approved of.