“Let’s Go Swimming On Doomsday”: TSL Review

Abdi is 13 when his older brother is kidnapped by Al-Shabaab, a big and bad terrorist organization in Somalia. Abdi watches as his brother is taken from him at school, loaded into a truck with other boys, and vanishes into the dust. Three years later, Abdi and his family relive their terror when they are kidnapped and thrown into a cell. Abdi endures three days of torture at the hands of the CIA, who give him a choice: go undercover Al-Shabaab to spy on his brother, who has become a leader in the organization or watch his family die. If he can fool the terrorists into thinking he’s one of them, Abdi and his family will be get to go to America.

This book was awesome. It rocked for so many reasons: it was wildly suspenseful, had a layered plot that kept me guessing, and Abdi was so easy to root for. He develops so much as a character, as a person, you begin to get close to him. I totally think of him as a brother. Unfortunately, as he trains to become a child soldier, Al-Shabaab makes him do horrible things. He HAS to do it if he’s going to rescue his family. His sketchy and criminal actions compel the reader to ask themselves: how far would you go to save the ones you love? What would you do?

Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday, written by Natalie C. Anderson, is bigger than Abdi and his family. It shows how hard war is on girls and also reveals the United States’ role in the making of terrifying muslim terrorist organizations. The book brilliantly explores Abdi’s survivor guilt and his hope for redemption from the things he has done, which have left him pretty physically and mentally messed up. He definitely gets PTSD, joining the ranks of the many Black kids before him who have suffered. It was special to finally be given a really awesome Black main character who struggles with his mental health and burdens. However, the novel is also about how special #BlackBoyJoy is – how Black youth can use their friendships to one another as a way to heal and fight back. #Blackboyjoy shows how special love is, especially when so many don’t want Black people to love each other. They’d rather we hate ourselves instead. While the book had really serious messages about how hard it is to be a Somali youth, it was also about Abdi growing up. He goes from being a boy to a young man and it’s totally irreversible. He is one of the most complex, loveable, and real characters I have ever read. Within each of us, an Abdi lives, full of courage and potential.

This is a dope story, one that each of us should read, because it is impossible not to love. Sure, the topic is mad heavy (TW for various forms of violence), but the story is bursting with hope, joy, and love.

By Jesse E

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