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As a teenager in the British Somali diaspora, the author struggled to form a strong sense of identity due to the negative perceptions of Somali culture in popular media and literature. Despite being an avid reader, they were not exposed to books with diverse characters until they discovered Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses and later, books by authors such as Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Mohsin Hamid, Nadifa Mohamed, and Warsan Shire. These stories gave the author a sense of belonging and representation that they had not experienced before.
The tragic death of Shukri Abdi and the police handling of the incident compelled the author to write a young adult book, You Think You Know Me, featuring unapologetic Somali characters who are proud of their heritage and embrace every aspect of their identity. The author believes that it is important for young Somali readers to see themselves represented in literature to counteract the negative perceptions that surround their community.
The author hopes that the next generation of Somali children will hear and internalize the message that they are capable of being anything they want to be and that they come from a rich and diverse cultural heritage. They highlight the work of Somali Sideways and the Somali Week festival as examples of positive representation and progress towards dismantling the dangerous “single story” of Somalis.
