The author did a lot of research to prepare to write this narrative about child soldiers and the trauma of African children being kidnapped to become child soldiers. The writing style was simple, but still literary at the same time. Abdi deals with the horrorific events with a sense of hope, and you root for him to survive and make it out on the other side. The indoctrination to be a child soldier was very cult-like. There are also elements of PTSD and children dealing with war, violence, and fear. You, as a reader, want a happy ending and, for the most part, you get one.
The book did address the colonization of Africa, and the undermining of the culture. There is a moment when Abdi and his father are fishing and they are discussing people coming in to take resources and jobs from people in the country, so I respect that the author touched on that.
There is a part of the story where Abdi and Samantha are discussing his past, and it's a very poignant moment, where he is feeling guilty, and she advises him to try to make amends for his past. It balances very well having a white character helping black people, but not making her a white savior character. At the end of the day, it was black people saving themselves. It showed a nuanced perspective of people doing horrible things for good reasons. I don't think they had the best ways, but I understood why they did what they did.
I did love Abdi's voice and character, but I think sometimes the scenes were slowed down because we were in his head and seeing his thought while there was also a very action packed scene. The narrative seemed to stop a bit during those moments.
I could see this adapted very well into a movie because much of it came to life in my head while I was reading. I overall liked the book and I liked the characters, but it could have been a little bit shorter.

unfortunately this was not for me. While I did enjoy the topic and it's definitely an important story to explore, the non-linear narrative just was not working for me. I am also not entirely convinced that this was the author that was supposed to explore this story and that this kind of narrative would have benefited from an own-voices exploration.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to download this book in time. The 5* star rating was chosen in order to not hurt the book sales or ranking, even though it was not possible to read it.

HARD, SENSITIVE & IMPORTANT TOPICS
Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday tackles issues which, I personally feel, is not being talked about in YA a lot. It tackles terrorism, religious extremism, terrorist groups’ abduction and recruitment/use of children as soldiers and young girls as their “wives”, government’s actions in stopping/fighting them, the trauma these circumstances give, and shows the painful reality which usually happens in third-world countries. I know it is not an easy topic to talk and read about. I requires more than just courage to do so. But I strongly believe that recognizing and talking about this issue is just the first step in solving this world-wide problem.

Aside from those it is also about loving and sacrificing for your family, being a victim of people in power, helping and accepting your friends for what they were and have become, coping with trauma, respecting other people’s boundaries, people who wish for the world to be a better place but have different ways of doing so and a child who had to shoulder problems caused by other people and the society. In general, this is about humanity and the problems it is facing out of so many.

POV and SETTINGS
This is written on Abdiweli’s point of view and is set on two different timelines: then, when he was still a child – before and after he was kidnapped and blackmailed to spy on the terrorist group Al Shabaab which is set on Somalia and now, when his job as a spy was finally done and is now facing the traumas of all the things he was forced to went through, which is set on Kenya.

REALISTIC CHARACTERS OWNING DIFFERENT STORIES
The characters each tell a different story of their own and no one was portrayed as perfect. They all feel realistic for me. This is the story of Abdi – we see how his innocence was taken when he was kidnapped and tortured by Americans. He is such a strong character whom I just want to wrap in a tight big hug. He did not surrender, all he cared about was his family. Always his family. He is kind, never wanting to hurt anyone but will do so if it meant saving his family, and was not naive even at such a young age. I wanted to protect him.

We also have the side characters of Dahir, Sam, Bashir, Safiya, the Doctor, the Butcher, Jones, Mama Lisa, Muna, and Alice which all played equally important roles in the story. Despite Abdi being the main man, these side characters were given chance to show who they really are and what their stories are all about though not in a way Abdi did, but STILL. With them incomplete, the book would have been different.

RELATABLE & THOUGHT-PROVOKING
As someone who also lives in a third-world country, I related to some things, from my parents buying me two sizes big uniforms and shoes when I was a kid so they can be worn longer to waiting for my ass to be smacked by literally anything when I did something wrong for me to be “disciplined” which are all Asian cultures.

Different perspectives were showed – from civilians to the government and to the terrorists. Just like when I was doing my internship in the government agency which is in charge with the peace talks and stuffs regarding rebel groups in the country, this made me ponder who is the real bad and who is the real good, which are the right things and which are wrong, which should have been and should have not been done. It is just as thought-provoking as it is on real life.

NON-OWN VOICES
The author wasn’t from Somalia and did not have the same experience with Abdi. I actually didn’t know that it wasn’t before I agreed to join the tour, but seeing the Author’s Note made me still appreciate it. This may not be an ownvoices book, I still recognize the effort and the purpose of the author in writing such a book and the strength and the bravery of all the Somalis who had survived the terrible abuse of Al Shabaab in sharing their stories with the author and the whole world. Without them this book would not be possible.

Personally, the author may be far from being Abdi, any member of his family, the Maisha girls or Safiya in real life, I actually see her as Sam, the UN social worker. Natalie C. Anderson works with United Nations on refugee relief and development mainly in Africa and I guess they may have share some similarities.

OVERALL,
Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday have let me in a completely different world, one which I hope does not exist but I know, sadly does. I really enjoyed the book. I loved the writing, it deeply touched my heart, I wanted to protect lots of characters and how it ended was so satisfying and genuinely made me happy. I just loved it.

RECOMMENDATION
This book is not for every one. It has a lot of triggers. If books with torture, kidnapping, blackmailing, rape, public punishment and deaths is something you do not or can not read, I suggest you not to read this. Otherwise, I do hope you will be able to give this book and the real owners of the stories it tells a time for them to be listened to.

This book was definitively difficult to read. With its topics of violence, sexual abuses, and religious terrorist groups, this Somali based story gave no air to breathe. Every page felt like a constant struggle where I even felt on edge and as if eyes were watching me. For Abdi, our brave and persistent MC, he was so young to have to mature and experience all of the hardship and blood at 16. I gave this a 4 stars rating because although this story was a unique tale that I would have never thought would be released into the world, something was lacking. I understand why because there did not seem to be a clear fluidity where the story just skated in a straight line, but it was a hectic rollercoaster ride. It is an honest and raw story that does not attract the light-hearted. Those who experience war or have faced difficult times can handle this story about a young boy risking it all for his family as I hope we all would.

In Somalia, it is impossible to go to school or hang out with friends because the local rebels are waiting to take any young boy and make him a soldier. After Abdi’s brother is captured, he connects with a group that aims to take down the jihadi that has his brother. While Abdi’s main goal is to save his brother, the people he is working with only want to stop the terrorists at any cost. Abdi becomes a child soldier for the jihadis and spies on their movements. There are many things Abdi is forced to do that emotionally break him. After these events, Abdi is taken in by a volunteer with an internal peace organization, in Kenya. He does not believe that he deserves anything good and has trouble feeling worthy of the schools and friends he begins making.

This book was emotionally hard. The difficult events continued throughout the novel, making it hard to keep hope throughout.

The Good
Where do I even begin? Maybe with the cover, which is absolutely stunning, or Abdi himself, one of my new favorite characters. I loved his POV, whether we were reading about events happening to him in the past or the present. There was palpable struggle to all of his thoughts, actions and feelings, and just enough humor to make me laugh or smile when he was (infrequently) able to be a regular teenage boy. I was fortunate enough to also have access to this story on audio, and the narrator was really great as well.

Natalie C. Anderson’s descriptions of the cities/areas in Somalia and Kenya were very vivid, especially considering she hasn’t visited Somalia yet and completely made up Sangui City. I don’t read very many books that take place in Africa, which is tragic, but made me appreciate this story even more. I also really appreciated that the author’s note includes facts about Al Shabaab, the war in Somalia and other things readers may not be knowledgable about. She also mentions that she interviewed Somali refugees and wanted to bring their perspectives and stories to the world, but did not take writing outside of her own community and perspective lightly. (Anderson is white, fyi.)

Even though the book focuses on Abdi and his experiences, the characters he meets are able to tell a wider story about things happening in Somalia, including the violence against women and girls at the hands of Al Shabaab and other groups. I think Anderson did a good job of touching on these things naturally; it didn’t seem like she was trying to do or include too much, which I feel usually weakens a story and its impact on the reader.

The Bad
I wouldn’t necessarily say this was “bad,” but the entire story except for two chapters were told through Abdi’s POV. One chapter randomly switches to a girl working as a cook/servant at an Al Shabaab camp when she is about to be whipped for owning an American romance novel. Another chapter switches to one of Abdi’s fellow “Boys” (members of Al Shabaab) toward the end, when Abdi is making his escape. While I appreciated the new POVs, particularly the girl’s, it was a little weird to jump from Abdi to these new people randomly.

Also, I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, but the ending was a bit more dramatic than I was anticipating and I had to suspend some disbelief in order to accept the events that occur. I remember this happening a bit in Anderson’s first book, City of Saints and Thieves, though, so I wasn’t completely put off by it. (Plus, young adult novels usually require that I, as a skeptical adult, suspend some disbelief anyway and try to reclaim some of my childhood wonder.)

The Verdict
I really enjoyed City of Saints and Thieves, and think this book is an even stronger follow-up from Anderson. I would definitely recommend Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday to pretty much anyone, but especially readers who enjoy contemporary novels that focus on serious issues rather than fluff. I also think it’s fantastic that this book is YA; I wish I could have seen stories like this as a young adult to broaden my knowledge and perspective on parts of the world I didn’t know much about. Read this book, y’all!

I decided to review every book I read this year on my youtube channel so I am going to be redirecting you towards my wrap up video of January 2019, which is when I read this book! https://youtu.be/ghcKVzhVrSY

Wow, let me first say that Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday tackles an extremely difficult subject. For many, it’s a window into a culture not seen in YA lit. Abdi struggles with what happened when he was a part of Al-Shabaab. We get his experience in snippets, flipping between the past and present. While this is a bit difficult to follow at first, the inclusion of dates helps in keeping the reader straight throughout the book.

Anderson paints a light on the horrors that have happened in Somalia through the eyes of a teenager. We feel for Abdi as he tries to cope with the actions he’s committed, and the consequences of those actions. The book moves smoothly from past to present, giving readers a fuller picture of the status of events in Somalia.

Though the author isn’t from Somalia, the detail provided in the text shows that it is thoroughly researched. Anderson creates vivid images that illustrate her attention to the facts, and making parts of the book difficult to read. In the author’s note, she mentions interviewing refugees; while she hasn’t actually been there, she worked to gain the information necessary to create an authentic story.

Overall, the book is well-crafted, featuring an important topic. For me, it was a page turner. I just desperately needed to know that Abdi turns out okay. Well, as okay as can be expected.