It is not a lot of books I can say I have enjoyed the politics of. But this book is definitely the exception. Beautiful spot on commentary for society and its downfall without it being on the nose. Good to support own voices authors!

Thank you to Net Galley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner Books for the advanced ARC of this. I didn't read it while it was up, but I took it out from the library.

What a journey! This memoir was different from others and, at times, a little tough to follow, but Louis' writing style kept me interested. Growing up is hard enough with a stable family and home, but Louis shares about growing up across continents with his trauma; it's unlike any other coming of age story.

Thank you for my earc of this book. This was a brilliantly written and personal account.
I would love to listen to an audiobook version of this.

This one was an extremely tough read. While I don't want to discount anyone's life, and it was certainly interesting to learn more about Biafra, which I knew nothing about, this book really wasn't for me. The writing style felt disjointed, and I certainly understand why that was chosen for some points. But I felt like the story looped back and forth over itself, and I often felt a bit lost. I don't think I would necessarily recommend this to anyone as there are MANY content warnings, but I'm not upset to have read it myself.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this copy. This is a wonderful thought-provoking memoir about the lead's childhood from the Nigerian Civil war time, going into the immigrant journey in LA. It is a slow burn and written with a raw transparency of how the author has experienced life through this journey. I highly recommend it to all readers for better awareness of world politics and immigrant experiences in the US.

I can honestly say that I have never read a memoir quite like this one. For that, I have given it four stars. In most memoirs there is profound moment or person that changes a persons life, but this memoir was a little different. Louis writes about what it is life as a Black man who has lived in and out of varius African Communities. This constant change of stories made the book seem overall disjointed which made it difficult to read at times. Overall, I think that the content and the story were powerful, but I worry that those who's this story are not intended for will not quite grasp it to its fullest extent (much like myself).

This was an amazing story! I loved Louis's way of story-telling and this is such a unique read. I think it's such a good story as the main character goes from a n0w-defunct country in Africa to Jamaica to the US. Would definitely recommend this one.

This memoir follows the journey--both physical and emotional--of "the first son of the first son" Louis Chude-Sokei. His mother, having fled Biafra after the murder of her husband, takes her son to Jamaica and then immigrates to the U.S. The memoir follows Chude-Sokei's life in Jamaica, growing up surrounded by aunties and cousins and without his mother. Then, in middle school, he arrives to Washington D.C. and is re-introduced to the reality of his mother contrasted with the way she was spoken about as the "Jackie O of Biafra." After some time and hardships in D.C. he and his mother then move to Los Angeles in the wake of riots and police racism. From there, Chude-Sokei explores and explains the differences in identity of being a Black American and an immigrant from an extinct country by way of Jamaica. African immigrants and Black Americans have a contrasting experience by the very essence of choice--choosing to come to the United States.

Immigrant narratives and journey of identity are so important in understanding the nuances of the diverse immigrant experiences. Chude-Sokei has had a life filled with complicated relationships with people, sexual experiences that border on abuse (tw, for sure, I was not ready), and the struggle to yearn for his unknown father (or any positive male presence) whose legacy follows him yet, in his youth, he is unable to speak to his mother about him or this yearning.

The pacing is quick and filled with the author's stories in a way that may seem disjointed. However, like memory, one recalls the impactful moments of one's life, which is highlighted in this memoir. I don't see the point of memoirs as revealing a great "a-ha" or revelation of life, but rather the story of how you came to be at a certain point: the legacy you leave in which you were able to take the reigns of the narrative. Therefore, I found this to be important in highlighting the range of immigrant experiences and the struggle of being Black in America, African in America, displaced in America and the African diaspora.

This unique memoir captures the journey of the author from a young boy in an African nature to Jamaica and then to the harsh Los Angeles streets. I like that the author didn't sugarcoat anything, as the writing was real and that kept me more engaged than I am when authors gloss over uncomfortable parts of their lives.

Floating in a Most Peculiar Way was an interesting read for me - a memoir of childhood in the middle of the conflict surrounding Biafra/Nigeria Civil War - but not actually that simple. This memoir is a slow burn and it was nothing like I anticipated. Following the early chapters is a complex, multilayered personal narrative rich in both personal and political history and the story of the African diaspora - which, I admit, is a word I've not fully understood and finally learned that it simply means a scattering of people from their original homeland. This is a story not only of that scattering but also a study of trauma, family, and place.

This memoir, is from a man who was born in Biafra, but was also a child of Jamaica and a child of the United States, all the while striving to be a "black American" so he can fit in. It is the story of his life in Jamaica, then in the United States, when he mother finally brings him to live with her, and it is a story of his search for his identity beyond being the "first son of the first son".
While I admire the author for attempting to tell this story, much of this fell flat for me. Much of the story is extremely disjointed [with multiple flashbacks to his time in Jamaica] and there were many moments where I was unsure where the author was, where he was going and what the point of the story he was at that point telling was about. It was again very disjointed and ultimately disappointing. I was hoping for more and while there were parts that were good and illuminating, ultimately, it fell flat for me and I was just glad to be done with it at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Louis Chude-Sokei, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Those of us who came of age in the 1960s and 1970s will recall the horrifying photography of starving Biafran children, their bellies swollen grotesquely, their bones barely covered by a thin layer of skin. Louis Chude-Sokei might have been one of those children, but was ablr to escape Biafra with his mother as a young child. She fled with him to Gabon, and then to Jamaica, where she left him to be cared for for several years while she made her way to America, before eventually bringing him to live with her in NYC and later in LA. Floating in a Most Peculiar Way is Chude-Sokei's memoir of growing up in America, and finding his identity: not completely African, not completely Jamaican, not quite African-American as that culture was understood at the time. Very well written, the memoir recalls the abuse he suffered in Jamaica, the anger he felt as a ten-year-old child toward the mother who had left him there, his confusion about his family (especially his father, one of the leaders of the Biafran independence movement) in Africa, and his struggles as a young man to find his place in this new land. Louis Chude-Sokei is now a writer and scholar at Boston University; his work ranges widely in and around the literary, political and cultural phenomena of the African Diaspora.

Louis Chude-Sokei is a writer and scholar whose work ranges widely in and around the literary, political and cultural phenomena of the African Diaspora. Spanning across several continents, Chude-Sokei, recounts his search for his identity, starting with his birth place in Biafra, Africa and ending in LA. Throughout this journey, Chude-Sokei describes his feelings of alienness and isolation. 


I don’t know what it was about this memoir but I could not put it down. When reading this book Chude-Sokei, gives you more than just his story, he gives you a view of the world through the eyes of an immigrant, from the tensions between Africans and Caribbean origin when he was in Jamaica to the streets of LA where Chude-Sokei, was introduced to the “N” word and out of curiosity Chude-Sokei, asked his mother what it meant and her response  and I quote “This is very wrong and we must do something about this immediately. It is not your fault. They have mistaken you for one of the blacks. Do you get? It is because we look the same. When someone says that word to you or calls you that name, say this. Listen. And you must say it very well and clear. Say I am not a slave.” my jaw dropped, an eye-opening moment.


Here's a fun fact, growing up Chude-Sokei adored David Bowie’s music, so the title of each chapter references lyrics from Bowie’s music.


Honestly this memoir was such a joy to read, engaging and insightful, I can easily say this will be one of my favorites of the year. Thank you, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for this gifted copy.

An insightful, evenly paced, coming-of-age memoir of a young man set against the backdrop of Nigeria, Jamaica, and coastal cities of the America. A deep dive into the pains and unique attributes of colonialism and the resulting diaspora and it's themes: violence, generational trauma, fatherless households and the sacrifice of the female/matriarch, buried truths, racism and colorism, constrictive reductionism of religion; but also the joy and sorrow of youth and discovering the possibility that more is attainable.
The clever hook of this book is the use of David Bowie lyrics as chapter titles. This really speaks to the impact that music, and more broadly, language, has on the creation of our identity, as we see it's not just an ingenious marketing idea, but actually representative of the author's lived existence. Engaging and insightful I am happy to recommend this title to my library patrons to broaden their horizons of what it means to be a man of color in this modern world.

Louis Chude-Sokei has such a unique coming of age story that spans across several continents beginning in his home nation of Biafra, Africa and ending in Los Angeles. His writing is honest and easy to read as he recounts his search for his identity. It was fascinating to hear about the history of Africa and the country of Biafra, an important piece of history I hadn’t yet learned about.

I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy memoirs - it was quick, interesting and easy to read, I flew threw it in a few days and learned so much along the way!

Louis Chude-Sokei has a truly unique story - he is the “first son of the first son” of the nation of Biafra, a West African state that was subsumed into Nigeria. His life moves from Jamaica to Los Angeles and back again as he struggles to carve out his own identity and place in the world.

This memoir introduced me to Biafra, and I'm glad I had a chance to learn about this state and its people. Chude-Sokei's stories of the tensions between peoples of African and Caribbean origin, as well as those raised in the US, were very eye-opening as well. He beautifully describes his feelings of alienness and isolation across all these different environments. If you're interested in the African diaspora or questions of identity, you'll likely find this book meaningful.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading memoirs and this was book no different. The story of the “first son of the first son” was very compelling. I found the history about Biafra that was woven through the story so interesting. As a child, I remembered the commercials on television of children with extended stomachs and to find out the story behind that was sad but informative. I read this story and was so anxious for him to find his place as a man even though he was surrounded by so many women. This was definitely a good read!

This book is a memoir about the “first son of the first son” of Biafra. The author tells of his life in Jamaica , the USA and Africa and how his history shaped his experiences. The history of Biafra in this book was really interesting, while reading i was also doing research to learn more about the conflict /watt.
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This was great going on this journey and learning about Chude-Sokei's process of self discovery.

I gravitated toward this book for the beautiful cover, the David Bowie lyric reference in the title, and because I can rarely resist a story centered around the African diaspora.

"There was so much to understand but even more to prove."

Louis Chude-Sokei's memoir is a transnational coming of age story starting in the war-torn former nation Biafra, finding temporary refuge in Jamaica, and landing in America. In his straightforward writing, Chude-Sokei touches on identity, diaspora, foreignness, and race. He examines the "in-betweenness" of Black immigrants' lives and the "tensions within Blackness itself" in America. I could not put this book down and was not ready for it to end. I'll be looking for more of Chude-Soke's writing in the future.

I received a free digital review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Floating in a Most Peculiar Way" by Louis Chude-Sokei is a memoir about the “first son of the first son” of Biafra and his life spanning several continents. The history in this book was really interesting, and I really liked reading about Chude-Sokei's process of figuring out who he is, where he comes from, and the meaning of family in his life. Aside from the historical knowledge that this book gave me, I really like how much the author discussed how religion, music, and literature were intertwined in his life. This is definitely a good read!