Book Group

Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 1:30PM
The Hartzmark Library
26000 Shaker Boulevard
Beachwood, OH 44122

Call Me American: A Memoir by Abdi Nor Iftin

Abdi Nor Iftin first fell in love with America from afar. As a child, he learned English by listening to American pop and watching action films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. When U.S. marines landed in Mogadishu to take on the warlords, Abdi cheered the arrival of these Americans, who seemed as heroic as those of the movies.

In an amazing stroke of luck, Abdi won entrance to the U.S. in the annual visa lottery, though his route to America did not come easily. Parts of his story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin’s dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.

Presenter: Judy Saltzman

Email Jane Rothstein at jrothstein@ttti.org for more information or for the Zoom link.

(Please note that the time change is for this month only.)