When the civil war in Somalia began, Abdi Nor Iftin was five; he and his brother became
the sole providers for the family while they also attended a madrassa. Amidst the daily
shelling and the famine, Abdi had one escape: American movies and music. At
neighborhood showings of Rambo, Commando, and The Terminator, Abdi learned of
America, and taught himself English, and began to dream of a life in the United States. 
 
In his memoir Call Me American, Iftin recounts his harrowing, extraordinary, and
uplifting story. His love of western culture and music earned him the name “Abdi
American.” This became a liability when Islamic extremism took hold of Somalia.
Evading conscription by al-Shabaab while secretly filing stories for NPR under penalty
of death, he stayed in Somalia until he had no choice but to flee. He smuggled himself
into Kenya, where a different but grinding life of hopelessness awaited. He spent days
hiding silently in an apartment from raids by Kenyan police, once passing time
reading memoirs and watching more movies. And then, a stroke of incredible luck: he
won the Diversity Visa Lottery. 
 
Now a proud and legal resident of Maine, Abdi is advocating for the refugee rights he is
also a community navigator. He’s on the advising council for Refugee International with
some of America’s most distinguished diplomats and prominent international human
rights leaders. Abdi was a TexdAmoskeag 2019 speaker.
On Janauary 17 th 2020, Abdi’s long life dream came true after he was sworn in as a
naturalized American citizen in Portland, Maine. For the first ever, Abdi is voting in the
US elections and excercising his American rights, one which many Americans take for
granted. But for Abdi it is liberating to have a voice in America.
Today’s America and the travel/immigration ban worry Abdi, a Muslim, a former refugee
and a displaced person. Abdi’s dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our
time: a vivid portrait of the desperation refugees seek to escape and a reminder of why
western democracies still beckon to those looking to make a better life.