My father was also my mother. I once made him a card and addressed it to Baba-Mama. Must mother be gendered?
Nadia Owusu’s mother abandoned her when she was 2 years old, she grew up in different places –, Rome, London, Dar-es-Salaam and Kampala. Her father died when she was 13 years old and was raised by her stepmother. Aftershocks tells the story of the author’s confusion about her identity and mothering.
Aftershocks is raw and heartbreaking. I am impressed by Owusu's ability to speak her truth about her family, trauma, grief, and identity. The book begins with the author at age 39 telling her story from the past to the present in a poetic way. The story isn’t linear – it has no shape or form instead it alternates between the past and present.
Just like the author, the book covers different places, people, and cultures. Her mother was an American of Armenian descent and her father was an academic from Ghana, who worked for the United Nations agency. Owusu was born in Tanzania and lived in England, Italy, Ethiopia, and Uganda before moving to the States after graduating from high school.
Owusu’s story revolves around an earthquake and a blue chair. I am blown away that she used these very elements to talk about her lived experience. Owusu talks about her mother leaving and how she was raised by her stepmother, growing up as a first child, living with grief, being unrecognized by her people, racism, and mental health issues. Owusu is honest about some life experiences, and I must admit that’s brave.
I will recommend this book to people who love memoirs.
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