For Djibouti, I read Why Do You Dance When You Walk? by Abdourahman A. Waberi, translated by David and Nicole Ball. This work is an autobiographical novel in which the narrator tells his 8-year-old daughter about his life growing up in Djibouti after she asks about his limp.

The book’s premise is that the author is telling his life story to his 8-year-old daughter, which might suggest the story is suitable for younger audiences. IT IS NOT. The story includes a lot of adult themes, including a traumatizing circumcision and prostitution. It’s beautifully written but most definitely not for children.

It’s been several months since I finished this book (yep, I am waaaaaay behind on my reviews!) but I still recall the way Waberi pulled me into the story with lush sensory details and prose that often broke into poetry. It’s only 120ish pages, but it covered so much: setting; family dynamics; sibling rivalries; illness; his love of writing and reading; food; education; immigration; and so much more, all of it masterfully transporting the reader to the streets of Djibouti City from the mid-1960s to the 1980s.

This is the sort of book that makes me so grateful I finally embarked on my Read Around the World quest (and if I say that a lot, it’s because my soul is being reconfigured in ways I never imagined possible, and my gratitude and wonder just keeps increasing).