A Gazelle Ate My Homework: A Journey from Ivory Coast to America, from African to Black, and from Undocumented to Doctor by Habib FannyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a charming story of a young man from Ivory Coast, Africa who came to America with little but the clothes on his back.
Escaping the civil unrest of his homeland, Habib struggled in earnest against poverty and threat of deportation, yet he stayed on course and applied himself to the task of surviving very difficult circumstances whilethriving academically.
The colorful stories of his life in Africa and in the USA are funny and are told in an authentic voice - humble and honest. The stories simply say ... hey, this is who I am. He talks about his flaws and his missteps. He talks about his trepidations. His life was storm-tossed and his circumstances chronically precarious, but he never brags about his grit and perseverance in the face of this. The reader can hear his determination to prevail in each sentence, but he does not stop to tell his reader how extraordinary this is. He doesn't think he is anything special. His readers will think otherwise.
He discusses with great clarity and courage the alienation he felt when he arrived in the USA. He openly describes the difference between his African heritage, culture, and blackness and the culture of blackness in the USA. He explains the difference between being an African in America vs. an African American. This was very instructive and an important reminder to those who move too quickly to compartmentalize groups of people.
More than once as I read his book, I thought of the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley...especially the last four lines:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
I hope I cross paths with Dr. Fanny one day. He sounds like a person who is worth knowing.
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