A beautiful and eye-opening memoir. This was less about Shugri's life as a nomad, but more about the Somalia's descent into war - which is not something I knew much about.

A timely and important read for all.

The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert is an enlightening memoir about Shugri’s nomadic life and is told in a style that replicates oral storytelling. It is fascinating and opens up a door into a lifestyle and culture that isn’t often featured.

A beautifully haunting narrative that immerses the reader in a disappearing world. Spectacular.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

I am not normally a memoir reader, but chose this based on the setting. I was quickly drawn in as Salh paints a vivid picture of her young life with her grandmother in the Somali desert. The hardships she experiences there are tempered with freedom and joy, which strengthens her carries her through many other challenges. She describes violence of many kinds, from the cutting of FGM to war and familial abuse, but never sensationally. And these events are balanced with small pleasures: sneaking out of an orphanage and exploring her nearby city, innocent flirtations, and finally a true love. I closed the book feeling like I just spent time with a new friend who gave me glimpses into the depths of her life and her culture. Recommended for upper YA and adult readers.

A quote near the beginning of this novel gives a very clear description of what this book is about "When an elder dies, a library burns" (African proverb). The author, Salh, starts the story with this quote and it sets the reader up for a story that is meant to serve as a memory of the ways of the past. Salh lived with her grandmother as part of a nomadic tribe in Somalia for parts of her childhood, including a period of a few years where she was sent to live there exclusively. Her grandmother teaches her the ways of her cultural group and gives her the historical lessons she would be expected to pass on to future generations. The memoir also shares about the challenging political situation in Somalia as well as her time in refugee camps prior to traveling to Canada. Some of the cultural traditions explored throughout this story include polygamy, nomadic desert life/camel and goat herding, as well as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/Female Circumcision. While graphic at some points, FGM is a very important topic, both as part of the author's culture and for readers to understand and learn about. I liked this book quite a bit, but it was not a favourite of mine. I think that with any memoir of a person who has experienced extreme trauma, readers need to go in with a mindset that the story will jump around at times and it may be a bit confusing. There were times when I felt a bit bogged down by details that I didn't feel were super important, while there were other times where more information would have been helpful, but may be attributed to the trauma experience. As far as the too much information sections, I think that it is important for the author to include any information that she felt was necessary, even if it is not the most riveting information because she is trying to create a timeless document that can be read by her descendants to learn about their ancestry and culture.

Memoirs such as this one give readers a window into understanding other cultures and countries as well as traditions and conflict we may not understand. I so appreciate the opportunity I was given by Netgalley and the publisher to read and review this story. I hope that readers will give this book a chance as an opportunity to expand their understanding of people who are different from them.

I really enjoyed this memoir of growing up as a part time nomad girl in Somalia, and facing a lot of disruption and uncertainty as the start of the terrible civil war. Salh and her siblings used every resource at their disposal to survive and help each other and their extended family, and it is such a testament to their strength that they got out in the way they did.

I learned so much about Somali clan culture, the history of the country, and how American imperialism led the world to ignore what was going on there until it was too late. Salh also doesn’t shy away from female circumcision or the difficulty and danger of being a woman in Somalia. She grows up with her grandmother as a very unusually independent woman, and I loved seeing how that informed her own life and choices as an adult.

Somali-born Shugri Said Salh's debut memoir The Last Nomad is a triumph of storytelling that illuminates the nomadic culture of her ayeeyo (grandmother). Salh, who fled her country due to civil war and now works as a nurse in California, portrays an enduring connection with the Somali landscape, along with a legacy of poetry and practical skills. The scope of The Last Nomad is much wider than a childhood memoir or a refugee survival story. The author has recreated intimate details of Somali traditions; she also layers elements of history, ecology and politics in an account that will appeal to a wide range of readers and book groups. One of my favorite books of 2021; a timely account of cultural endurance and family migration across borders and continents.

The Last Nomad is a beautiful memoir of a fascinating life by a resilient Somali woman. I enjoy reading and learning about cultures different from mine. This book did not disappoint.

Shungri grew up in Somalia, where at age six she was sent to the desert to help her nomadic grandma. She had to learn quickly how to live off the land and protect herself from the many dangers in the desert. She was the last of her family to learn this traditional way of life.

As war was on the horizon, Shugri is moved from place to place with different family members, eventually finding her way to Canada.

An eye-opening look at Somalia beliefs.
I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Last Nomad: Coming of Age was a beautifully written memoir that was heartbreaking and enlightening. The resilience of the nomadic women was shown in a way that really pulled you into seeing the lifestyle and culture and what it took to endure.

The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert by Shugri Said Salh both moves and educates. The author provides an insight into the culture and traditions of Somalia. By describing the cause, the journey, the fact that no one becomes a refugee by choice, and the willingness to work for an adoptive home, the book speaks to the plight of people around the world forced into similar situations. Perhaps, the book may educate on that broader scale as well and promoting understanding.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/08/the-last-nomad.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour.

This book. WOW! So spellbinding and humbling. I just finished reading (and alternating listening along in the car - the narrator, Waceke Wambaa, is absolutely fantastic!), and I’m having a hard time gathering my thoughts to do this one justice. I feel so honored to be able to immerse myself in Shugri’s journey, and understand what life was like for her in Somalia as a nomad and, later, on her path from the desert to an orphanage, a refugee camp, and eventually to the USA. Thank you so much for gifting us with the beauty and honesty of the story of your life, Shugri. Everyone should go get themselves a copy of this engrossing debut!

Thanks to Algonquin Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Nomad is an unforgettable book. Before this book I didn’t much about Nomad but after this book I want to learn even more.
Salh covered so many things about her culture and many were eye-opening.

What I’ve learned and liked:
- Salh covered women who had played a big role in her life such as her grandmother. Salh’s grandmother (Ayeeyo) was strong and smart who took life by horns.
- I thought Salh’s mother did the best she could to ensure her children lived a better life unfortunately she didn’t have the chance to finish what she started. I am really happy Salh had the chance to learn about her mother.
- The amount of responsibility the women had to endure was remarkable. Salh describes how women aged quickly due to the number of responsibilities once they were married. Women are held responsible and bring dishonor in the family if they were rape. Because of men's egos, women had to go through circumcision aka Genital Mutilation which can cause affections, painful sex, and death to babies and mothers.
- I enjoyed learning about the clan's structures, Nomads’ storytelling and traditions as well the Somali proverbs. It fascinated me how Nomads were able to survive harsh environments but still cared for one another.
- I would like to have learned more about the orphanage which Salh and her siblings had to live in. How Salh’s grandmother was during the civil war in Somalia.
While I was reading this book I went through a range of emotions but through in the end, I was grateful I had the chance to read it. I strongly recommend this book.

While this may not have been the lightest of reads to read while kicking off the first real vacation that we have taken in two years, I must say that this is a truly wonderful memoir. It reads with the fluidity of fiction while being truly eye-opening about many different aspects of life in Somalia. The author relays her upbringing - initially split between city-life with her immediate family, before going to the desert to be raised for years there after her mother's death under the guidance of her beloved grandmother. Eventually, she returns to city life, but the civil war in Somalia brings violence and chaos and brings her to a very different life in North America.

It's genuinely a fascinating read that is eye-opening about so many aspects of life in different facets of Somalia. There are some truly heartbreaking scenes, too - along with the graphic violence of genital mutilation, the stigma of being female and yet manages to be balanced with love and hope as well. It truly is a gripping read and one that I think would be terrific for book clubs and discussion groups. I hope that this garners all of the positive attention that it deserves!

4.5 stars -

Compelling, reflective, and informative - that's Shugri Said Salh's memoir in a nutshell.

Shugri Said Salh's memoir is a story of resilience that everyone should read. Shugri shares her life as a young nomad, given to her grandmother by her mother in order to help her out in accordance with history. Shugri didn't have to share some of the hard hitting details of her life, but she did so. Including her female 'circumcision' - that was tough to read, but her explanation behind the history of the custom was astounding. I appreciated that she brought the reader into her culture by setting the scene and explaining what was happening that may be connected to her culture. Her story of escaping a clan war torn Somalia is truly gripping and I never thought of how important it may be for someone to remember all of their clans and subclans in order to escape danger.

I feel like the story of a nomadic Somalian fleeing for turmoil isn’t one that we hear often as many voices are silenced in North America. If I could push a copy to all of my friends right now, I would do so.

Thank you, Shugri, for letting us into your life. You are truly a remarkable woman.

Thank you Algonquin and NetGalley for a galley in exchange for an honest review. Algonquin has published some amazing memoirs this year!

A down-to-earth memoir from a woman whose life experiences encompasses both eating Whole Foods sushi in Sonoma, herding goats in the desert with her granny, and running for her life from sectarian fighting in Mogadishu.

The wisdom and resilience of Shugri Said Salh's poetic ancestors certainly comes through on the page. She has the grit to go beyond 'woe is me' to 'this happened. some parts were funny. some parts were horrific. we did our best.'

Reminds me of the Little House on the Prairie books, tbh. A spirited young girl makes connections with the natural world that sustain her through all kind of incredible circumstances, both in town and on the frontier.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4159560948

The Last Nomad was a fast read for me. The first 60% of the book flew by. The desert landscape and the Somali culture reminded me of India in some ways. The last 40% described war times and Shugri’s experiences as a refugee and immigrant. These chapters were very impactful too and I realized that I was reading every word very carefully. As an immigrant myself, I connected with many of the struggles of moving to Canada. Taking the bus was a huge stress for me for a while too and with being home for the last year and a half with covid, I had forgotten those challenges.

This is a beautiful book and I learned so much. If you are interested to know about the world, pick up this book. You’ll learn about a culture that you might not know a lot about, you will get to know experiences of refugees and immigrants. But most importantly, you will read about family, close-knit bonds that drive people to keep their loved ones together, to do everything they can to help them cross oceans and find a safer place, because home isn’t a safe place for all of us.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Find my full review on Armed with A Book.

I have never been a huge fan of Memoirs, but lately I have been reading such great ones and this one is added to the list of great memoirs. I love Shugri's form of storytelling, I feel like I am part of her story like if I am living right there with her and her family and her traveling with her mom and living with her grandma, living the nomad life. This book also introduced me to a culture I knew nothing about. I didn't know that Somali nomads existed, I didn't know there was a huge war going on, back in the 90's, I also didn't know that young ladies got circumcised, and the healing process of that. I loved how she was able to even speak to us about life being moved around between families, sometimes for their protection, sometimes to better their education.

The struggles she went through is something to be admired, she mentioned a lot about forgiveness and moving on from her traumas in order to liberate herself from them as well, WOW! I was heartbroken to even finish this book, I was reading it so slowly, mainly there was so much to learn and I didn't want the book to end.

Thank you Netgalley and Algonquin for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

"Survival is woven into the fabric of who I am."

The Last Nomad by Shugri Said Salh is not just a memoir about survival but about transformation. Reading her life story left me not only appreciating my life but my ancestors as well. The author shows we are all here because of where the past has led us through trials, tribulations and forks in the road.

At 6 years old Shugri is sent to learn of the nomadic life in the Somalian Desert of her ancestors with her grandmother. She enjoys the camaraderie of herding sheep, cooking campfires and stories of the past. She even feels pride when she participates in the rite of passage for "respectable" girls of female circumcision. These are the ways of her people. Later she understands the brutality and health risks of this ritual.

She eventually returns to her family where her father, a teacher believes in education and says my favorite quote, "If you educate a son, you educate one person, but if you educate a daughter, you educate the whole community."

When her country is in a civil war her family flees to Kenya, then Canada and then the United States. Surviving the modern world with its technology and noise, so much noise, was almost as harrowing as the risks in the desert.

Throughout her journey, this writer, expresses her need to not just survive this world but to thrive and now as a nurse and published author we get to experience and revel in her success.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Last Nomad is the story of Shugri Said Salh’s life as the nomad of her ancestral line.

When Shugri was six years old her mother sent her to live with her grandmother in the desert. She left behind her many siblings, her parents, and life in the city.

The desert became a place for Shugri to play and have freedom in a place that held so much history of her ancestors. It was also a place of hunger and predators and drought.

The purpose of this memoir is to tell Shugri Said Salh’s story as a nomad and how she came to live in the United States. She wants more for her children than what she grew up with.

I really enjoyed reading this memoir. It gave me a glimpse into another culture I didn’t know much about. I felt for young Shugri growing up in the desert. I truly enjoyed her story and I’m happy that she is now living somewhere she doesn’t have to literally fight for everything she needs. Her story is moving and will only make you appreciate everything you have more.

Thank you, Algonquin Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.