“Here I come,” I said aloud and followed my family.
Acknowledgments
Although the book bears my name, there are so many people to thank for the fact that I am here writing this acknowledgment.
To my sister, Ruqia Kusow, who, when I was thirteen, gave me my first notebook where the outline for my first creative writing was formed. Your courage, support, and kindness are the light that illuminates my way to every success. To my children, your ultimate trust in me is an honor for which I give prayers of thanks every day. Your unconditional love and gratitude for all I do gets me through everything, no matter how difficult. For my nieces and nephews—you are the hope for the future. Thank you for being so much more than nieces and nephews. My brothers Abdi Kusow, Mohamud Bono, Abdulaahi Kusow, Ali Kusow, Ahmed Kusow, and Isaaq Kusow, who told me you believed in me when I needed to hear it the most. Without your constant support and unwavering belief this project wouldn’t have been possible. My sisters Yasmina Bouraoui, Naciimo Huseen, Shukri Nur, Fadumo Abukar, Lul Omar, and Fadumo Omar, having you in my life makes a world of difference. Thank you. You have been there for me in more ways than my words can capture.
Special thanks and gratitude goes to my publisher, Margie Wolfe, for giving voice to my words. To my editor, Kathryn Cole, for believing in my worth as an author, while holding me to the deadlines for those rounds of revisions and rewrites. Thank you for all your questions about the words and ideas I assumed were clear to the reader. You are the champion for this story.
Thank you to Lorie Schofield, Donna Priestyeski, and Leslie Harper-Reid for reading the roughest of drafts and pulling the story out of the mess. Your commitment and time is greatly appreciated.
To my Ann Arbor Area writing group, Karen Simpson, Patricia Tompkins, Shelley Schanfield, Ellen Halter, Kim Peters Fairley, Karen Wolff, Skipper Hammond, Dave Wanty, Yma Johnson, Ellie Andrews, Rachel Lash Maitra, Naomi Petainen, Leslie McGraw, Kay Posselt, Ray Juracek, Danniel Kurt Gilbert, Donnelly Wright Hadden, and Beth Neal, you have taken me in at my loneliest of times when I had nothing more than hope and helped me find the story hidden beneath the confused sentences and complicated plotlines.
To the Write on Windsor writing group, Mick Ridgewell, Ben Van Dongen, Christian Laforett, Alberto Bernal, Jessica Gouin, Rand Hoppe, Roy James, Kathleen Rockey, and Christine Haydon, thank you for keeping me vigilant against pitfalls of repeated words and information dumping. I am especially grateful to Michael Drakich, Rachel Pieters Mumford, and Lori Lorimer for giving so much of your time to read the complete manuscript. Your keen eye to the details and spotting both the big and smallest of mistakes moved the writing from readable to publishable.
To my friends, Venus Olla and Allison Forbes, for all the late-night tea and chats. Your support means so much more than I can say. My deepest gratitude goes to Arline Calvert and Stefan Adjetey for keeping it real. Your unfailing support makes every workday a joy.
About the Author
Fartumo Kusow was born in Somalia and immigrated to Canada at the start of the civil war. Her first novel, Amran, was serialized in October Star, Mogadishu. Since her arrival to Canada in 1991 she has earned a B. Arts Honours in English Language and Literature and B. Education from the U. of Windsor. She teaches English literature for the Greater Essex County District School Board. A mother of five adult children, Fartumo lives in Windsor, Ontario.
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