In Somalis in the Neo-South: African Immigration, Politics and Race, Dorian Brown Crosby has written a timely and important analysis of Somalis in America. As she points out in the introduction, the book is a must-read because it explains the experiences of a group that is little- known in America. Somalis are almost always portrayed in a stereotypical manner (which Brown Crosby characterizes as “negative labeling”) (7). Such superficial portrayals fail to take into account the many challenges faced by Somalis, both in seeking to emigrate to America and then in adjusting to American life.
In this comprehensively researched book, Brown Crosby conducted semi-structured interviews during a two-year period from 2016–18. She discovered potential interviewees through the “snowball sampling” method in which community residents suggested individuals for interviewees. By using a “political sociological framework” (6), the author tackles a number of questions that make this book useful in American,...
University of California Press