This was a wonderful book - thoroughly enjoyed it. Anderson did an exemplary job of presenting a sensitive topic in a human and sensitive way without being saccharine or disingenuous. I was particularly impressed that her ability to humanize extended even into her fair and objective presentation of those opposed her subjects. This was a refreshing read, positive and encouraging. I wish that these were the stories that were told (and heard!) more often.

Journalist Cynthia Anderson’s Home Now follows the experiences of Somali immigrants who moor themselves to the community of Lewiston, Maine in the early 2000s to present. Anderson is an insider, having grown up in Lewiston. Historically, Lewiston was an industrial stronghold owing to the paper mill industry; however, post-industrial changes rendered the community virtually obsolete by the 1980s. Enter  the Somali refugees by the early 2000s to kick start the community. Timing led to a tinderbox of relationships between Somalis, other African immigrants like Congolese, and the native Mainers as this was just following 9/11. Nevertheless, Somalis have made Lewiston a thriving community once again argues Anderson.

In a traditional chronological narrative structure, this book follows a cohort of Somali main characters who are predominantly women at different phase of their life including Nasafari, a teenage on the threshold of adulthood and graduation from Lewiston High School; Jamilo, a young single mother who has already endured much hardship in both a genital mutilation procedure in Somalia and two failed marriages one of which is arranged; and Fatuma, a 30-something immigrant activist, wife, and mother of eight. The journalistic writing style makes for an interesting story; however it may have been improved by thematic chapters (e.g. on Ramadan and its impact) rather than a pure chronological (time-oriented) chapter approach. The voices of Somali women are impactful but greater gender analysis might strengthened the overall work.

Home Now by Cynthia Anderson is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in late October.

Yay, I’ve been excited to read this one! Refugees, especially African refugees, have been creating homes, communities, and businesses all across where I live in the Twin Cities. With this book, it describes the rich social life of resettled refugees outside of the home, being constantly busy, navigating the arenas, schools, public assistance, medicine, and law, plus involvement in community leadership and empowerment, welcoming new refugees, and taking care of people. There is also the harrowing experiences in Somalia and at refugee camps in Kenya; city, state, and federal governments each having their own stance of immigration and treatment of refugees; tension between people who are Somali and Bantu; then the topic of genital mutilation coming up very unexpectedly with little lead-up.

I am fascinated by people's stories. I think Anderson did a lovely job portraying people's experiences in a way that builds understanding and empathy for readers. It is easy to only think one understands from how stereotypes and mainstream understandings perpetuate certain ideas, it is enlightening to read a book that tries to truly delve into the everyday life, work, and struggles that people face as they try to navigate their lives.

I worked with Somalian refugees in Cleveland, before they continued their journey to Columbus, so I've found their plight interesting to read about. They aren't the only refugees I've had contact through the years and often look up info on how their communities are getting along.  I hadn't heard about the Lewiston refugees and thought the book would be an interesting study of the Somalian refugees there. I get first hand info about our Columbus refugees from people who work to help them get established in their new communities. Home Now was a pretty good account, it could have used a bit more info, but overall, it gives insight into the community and it's people and relationships between the town and the refugees. Lite read, but informative.

Absolutely incredible. This book touched my heart and made me think. There seems to be an awful tendency to dehumanize immigrants and refugees and this book treats everyone as human. It gives you small details that make all the difference, it's immersive and heartbreaking without being too heavy all at once. 

I would love to see this book in schools (and in the hands of politicians.) I will be buying a few copies as Christmas gifts this year. Highly recommend - thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this and thank you Cynthia Anderson for writing it.

Lewiston Maine was a dying town a once lovely town to grow up in had taken a downward turn stores closing a feeling of failure.Then Somali immigrants came to town& it started to thrive again they brought nlife Hope commerce to the town.The author introduces us to these brave immigrants who have become her friends.This is a wonderful intimate look at the life of immigrants in America their struggles people’s reaction to them.This is a wonderful read an informative read perfect important in today’s political climate.Highly recommend this book.#netgalley#persusboojs.

A fascinating look at a working class town on the edge of collapse that gets a huge influx of immigrants. We get the see the effects through the lens of a very diverse group of people. It was great to see such an in-depth look at a segment of the population that is often overlooked or generalized about.

When it is hot as heck outside and there is nothing cool to do but reading as everything else makes you end up a sweaty mess, it is the perfect day for a speed reader.			
			
I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  			
			
From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.			
	
A moving chronicle of struggle, transformation, and who belongs in America.

The once-thriving city of Lewiston had fallen on hard times--mills closed, jobs gone. It was mostly white, and the young were leaving. Then thousands of African Muslim immigrants came to town.

Over the past 15 years, Lewiston, Maine has improbably become one of the most Muslim towns in America. About 6,000 of the city's 36,000 inhabitants are African refugees and asylum seekers, many of them Somali. Cynthia Anderson tells the story of this fractious yet resilient mill town near where she grew up, offering the unfolding drama of a community's reinvention--and humanizing some of the defining political issues in America today.

In Lewiston, progress is real but precarious. Anderson takes the reader deep into the lives of both immigrants and lifelong Mainers: a single Muslim mom, an anti-Islamist activist, a Congolese asylum seeker, a Somali community leader. Their lives unfold in these pages as anti-immigrant sentiment rises across the US and national realities collide with those in Lewiston. Home Now gives a poignant account of America's evolving relationship with religion and race and provides a sensitive refutation of the idea that we'd be better off without change.

Having read and enjoyed the book "One Goal" which touched on the Somali and their place on a high school soccer team in Lewiston, ME I was interested in reading this book. Much like Dearborn, Michigan has become a (pardon the pun) Mecca for Muslims, Lewiston, Maine has become a home for the same refugees. (Dearborn has 30,000 Muslims out of 100k people, about twice the concentration of Lewiston). There are no jobs in Dearborn, either. 

What is different about Lewiston is that Maine and its environs are generally white, whereas Detroit is predominantly African American and that makes a difference IN SOME WAYS. Racism no matter what your colour, is a defining issue in the USA and this book delves deep into the subject. At no time does the book become preachy, which is important to me as a reader, nor does it take either side of the argument. This is a great book for a book club as one can discuss Trump's rantings that he is not racist with a glass of wine in hand and take either side of that argument, as well. 

Book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

I absolutely loved “Home Now,” and not only because it was a thorough and personal look at the challenges and triumphs of the primarily Muslim African refugee community that has helped reshape Lewiston, Maine (which even as a New Englander I had never learned about until now). What has really stuck out to me is how by telling the story of these particular women, men and their families of this specific New England community, Cynthia Anderson tells a modern variation of a story that has been repeated again and again and again throughout the country’s history. It’s the story of those who come from afar, work hard to overcome a myriad of obstacles to start over and make fresh lives for themselves, clash against those who view them as inherently too different to ever fit in, work to resolve conflict maintaining their identities while simultaneously adjusting accordingly to their new context, and as they adjust they in turn end up changing their new home and eventually make their new communities more diverse, more vibrant, and stronger than they were before. It is nothing less than the story of the immigrant in America, and by telling one specific community’s present day version of it, Cynthia Johnson does a great service to us in an unfortunate age where there are far too many who continue to wrongfully fear the current generation of newcomers coming to start anew.