I am glad I picked up this book as I do enjoy books about history. It is definitely a book for those who enjoy history and not for those who get bored by it easily.

The authors raise important questions about Omar ibn Said's narrative of his life and enslavement, and provide new to me context about his story's use by white supremacists. An important contribution is their translations of many other texts written by him, and theur identification of Islamic texts that Omar would have encountered during his education in West Africa. It's a very short work that could have benefitted from more analysis of how these insights complicate Omar's communication through and identity reflected in his writings and much less discussion of past historians. It is always much easier to say what is wrong instead of developping one's own interpretation of what is.

Quick Summary: A scholarly resource

My Review: I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Said's America by Mbaye Lo and Carl W. Ernst is a deeply insightful account on the life, thoughts, and experiences of the well educated and learned West African scholar.

About the Book: The presentation of content was very well done and incredibly thorough. Of great benefit was the inclusion of documents, illustrations and photos. They proved helpful to me in terms of validating the authenticity. I further appreciated the references to other Black voices of the time. Additionally, the notes and the bibliography were a treasure trove of information.

As a layman of history, I found that this book offered so much food for thought. There were rich lessons everywhere. It was easy to get caught up in wanting to dig deeper and research other concepts associated with this account. I could definitely see this being used as a class study to further scholarship in the minds of students.

My Final Say: I genuinely appreciated the opportunity to read, learn, and discover more about Omar ibn Said. His life was heartbreaking and unfortunate, while at the same time, it was remarkable and enlightening. Although I started this book months ago, I must emphasize that it is the type of material that should be savored and reflected upon. I could easily have spent more time buried in the pages.

Other: I am of the belief that Omar's writings and expressed truths (versus the cloaked falsity that was narrated in association his life) were purposed. His voice still speaks. I hear. I see. I understand.

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: T to A

Thank you so very much for granting me the opportunity to review this work. I was enriched by the experience. Appreciation is extended to the authors, to the publisher (The University of North Carolina Press), and to NetGalley.

I would not recommend for casual reading but I would definitely recommend for all students of History. The primary source material is thoroughly analyzed giving the most up to date and accurate account. A process that should be given to extra emphasis in our current time of information versus misinformation and what actually happened versus what people want to hear.

I received an eARC of this book for review from University of North Carolina Press via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
• The Brief: I Cannot Write My Life is a socio-historical literary study of Omar ibn Said’s [Sayyid] surviving writings. This includes an autobiographical sketch and several letters. The authors focus on the centuries of misinterpretation brought on by translator’s biases and ignorance of Arabic education and religious systems.
• This study will interest anyone seeking to learn more about the lives and impact of enslaved African Americans or the pro-slavery movements and abolitionist movements of the 1800s. It is written for a scholarly audience and will also appeal to those interested in the history of forced religious conversion and anti-Islamic activities.
I found this a well-researched and comprehensive analysis that applies historical, religious, and sociological fields to understand – for perhaps the first time – the true meanings of Sayyid’s writings. While I have studied these liberal arts subjects, but am by no means an expert on Abrahamic religions or slave narratives. Still, the author’s arguments were well supported by their citations and bibliography. Highly recommend!

’m reading this book right now about 80 miles from where this man was enslaved — good lord his story needs to be a movie.

A Muslim scholar, captured during war, sold and enslaved in America, found in jail after escaping (having written on the walls of his cell in Arabic), wrote his autobiography and about other enslaved people, changing how people viewed slavery through the missionary circuit (though his belief in Christianity is very tenuous) - his story is so tragic in so many ways. We’ve been told a false history of him for over a century, but this new book explores his life through his own words - not those who spoke over him.

I love that it’s a critical analysis of his writings in their cultural contexts giving it such a richer view of his life and beliefs. It’s written very accessibly and offers a history of Senegambia and Islamic institutions throughout Africa that I’d never learned before. The full texts of his letters and his autobiography - with appropriate translations - are included for everyone to read and learn about this man thrown into indescribable circumstances.

Thank you @uncpress for this incredible book.

An impressive work of scholarship that recovers and corrects generations of deliberately misguided interpretations of Omar ibn Said's life as documented in his autobiography. Much attention is given to the scholarly nuances of documentation, interpretation, and translation, which may tax readers' attention more than intended. But this noteworthy project shouldn't have its shine dimmed by its academic appearance -- this is an important piece of history that is finally receiving due appreciation for the first time.

This book offers a great amount of context for the writing of Omar Ibn Sayyid. Where Ala Alryyes tried to elevate Omar by analyzing him in terms of American social currents, Lo and Ernst try to isolate him, showing his radical difference from those who read him. The different approaches each contribute something. However the tone of this book is distasteful to me as it seems excessively derogatory towards prior scholarship. The authors are extremely insistent on faulting past writers for their unfaithfulness to Omar. In particular Alryyes, who produced a perfectly fine translation, is incorrectly criticized for reproducing inaccurate earlier translations (which are useful and enlightening for students to use for comparison) and hypocritically criticized for things that this translation does as well. The blindness of the 19th century translators to Omar's subtle writing style and his concealment of his religious views is actually very interesting and should be presented constructively in a reflective historical light. Alryyes's book already did this so, as a religious scholar, I will continue to recommend that book to students over this one.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

One of the best books I've read in a long while!!