Abdi Nor Iftin

Join us for an evening of reading and discussion celebrating the work of Abdi Nor Iftin. Abdi Nor Iftin’s memoir tells the story of someone who’s desperately trying—against long odds—to make it to the United States and become an American. Abdi was a Somali refugee who fled Kenya for fear of the radical Islamist group In Kenya he got “the luckiest break of his life:” winning the lottery to land on a short list for a U.S. visa. This was his ticket out. But before he could cash in his golden ticket, the police start raiding his neighborhood, targeting refugees.

Parts of Abdi’s story were first heard on the BBC World Service and This American Life. Now a proud resident of Maine, on the path to citizenship, Abdi Nor Iftin’s dramatic, deeply stirring memoir is truly a story for our time: a vivid reminder of why America still beckons to those looking to make a better life.

Abdi Nor Iftin currently lives in Maine. He is studying political science at the University of Southern Maine, and he plays soccer every Saturday in a melting-pot league of Americans and immigrants from around the world.