THE LION’S BINDING OATH
ISBN 978-1- 946395-07- 8 | trade paper | $15.95 | publication date Jun 2018
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Religious and ethnic conflict may be the Horn of Africa’s most enduring recent legacy. But beneath its recent history of war and displacement lies human stories—families, clans, lovers, neighbors, and friends, all bound together through common cultural, religious, and historical ties.
The Lion’s Binding Oath, Ahmed Ismail Yusuf’s collection of short stories, introduces readers to the people of Somalia and their struggles: their faith, identity, friendship, and family bonds, as whispers of war grow louder around them. Through stories that span the years before and during Somalia’s civil war, Yusuf weaves together Somalia’s political, social, and religious conflicts with portrayals of the country’s love of poetry, music, and soccer. Yusuf’s collection is a powerful examination of love and resilience in a country torn apart by war, and written with deep compassion for the lives of its characters.
Read an excerpt from The Lion’s Binding Oath | Reading Guide-Lion’s Binding Oath (PDF)
Praise for the lion’s binding oath
“Ahmed Ismail Yusuf’s The Lion’s Binding Oath and Other Stories offers tender memories of his pre-war homeland of Somalia. Even as the drums of war sound to foreground the onset of strife, so do rhythms of the everyday, all captured in hypnotic prose. A timely intervention that affirms all is not lost—in Yusuf’s imagined homeland—and the nation currently under reconstruction.” Peter Kimani, author Dance of the Jakaranda
“Through The Lion’s Binding Oath, Ahmed Ismail Yusuf offers a beautiful insight in Somali culture, tradition and heritage. It is as if you are sat down, by the fire, in the plains, under a blanket of stars, and told story after story until even time loses meaning.” JJ Bola, author No Place to Call Home.
“The Lion’s Binding Oath overlays rich imagery and human drama over a historical and political view of Somalia that Westerners don’t often get to see. Going beyond pirates and terrorism, it delves into issues of tribe, gender and family in an interwoven series of stories told from many perspectives. It is a much-needed addition to the cannon of African literature and will find a happy home among Achebe, Thiong’o, and Okri.” Natalie C Anderson author City of Saints and Thieves
“Through his entertaining stories, Ahmed Ismail Yusuf captures the world of Somalia’s pre-war past and the tragedy of what was lost there. Alternately comic, allegorical, heartbreaking, they provide a window into the richness of Somali storytelling.” Brad Kessler, author Birds in Fall
“Yusuf is unquestionably talented, with a knack for stories focused on injustice and the anxiety of separation, be it over time or distance. […] Informative and direct storytelling from a corner of Africa that’s poorly understood in the West.” Kirkus
Selected as a Midwest Connections pick by the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association
“With their focus on youthful soccer stars or childhood friendships, as well as their simple language and pastoral settings, the tales that begin the loosely linked stories of “Lion’s Binding Oath” lull readers into a false sense of security. But by the end of the collection, it is clear that being young or living in a rural area can’t protect Somalians from more than three decades of civil war. Man or woman, adult or child, teacher or reluctant soldier, no one in “Lion’s Binding Oath” is safe. Many stories suggest that if members of Somalia’s various factions could learn to live together as its animals have, the world would be a better place. The most arresting example of that is the title story. Reminiscent of Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi,” it’s the last and best story in Yusuf’s collection.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Yusuf draws us in with descriptions that bring beauty to minute details….In tone recalling Maya Angelou’s Gather Together in My Name, this work will appeal to readers of literary and African fiction.” — Library Journal
“This mature debut is graphic…as it reveals how children grow up around violence and war. They still play, learn, tell stories, and try to get along despite threats and the police presence in their everyday lives. For readers interested in soccer and international affairs, this thin volume will enhance fiction collections.” — School Library Journal
“While Yusuf’s book is fiction, he incorporates significant facts into his storytelling. In this way, The Lion’s Binding Oath becomes not just entertainment, but also a creative disclosure about Somalia’s people, culture, and history.” —New Pages
“…compelling tales covering many recent experiences of [Yusuf’s] beleaguered people…” —Minnesota Alumni Magazine
The Author
After fleeing Somalia, Ahmed Ismail Yusuf lived in several states but has lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1997. He did not speak English when he arrived, he was a high-school dropout, and he was not sure what his actual age was. Today he has two college degrees and is the author of Somalis in Minnesota, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, and Gorgorkii Yimi, a collection of stories in Somali, published by Ponte Invisible. In February 2018, The History Theatre of St. Paul, Minnesota will produce his play, “A Crack in the Sky,” a memoir about how Yusuf found inspiration in Maya Angelou and Malcolm X during his early days as an immigrant to the U.S.