Scattered is the title of a memoir by Aamna Mohdin, a British-Somali journalist and author, known for her work on race, immigration, and social justice. She currently works as a community affairs correspondent at The Guardian.
I first heard about this book through a Guardian podcast, Today in Focus, which I listen to regularly. The memoir narrates Mohdin’s experiences as a Somali refugee who arrived in the UK at the age of seven. We learn of her family’s journey to get here, her struggles with identity, and the impact of the refugee crisis over the years.
There is also a fascinating account of her return to the refugee camp where she had spent her early childhood, using elements of investigative journalism to give a contemporary view of the refugee situation.
A journey rooted in discovery
Scattered begins with the revelation that prompts the author’s journey of self-discovery. While reporting on the refugee crisis in Calais in 2015, Mohdin is confronted with the inescapable truth that she had once been a refugee herself. This realisation compels her to revisit her past and address experiences she has long suppressed.
Her early years had in fact been marked by trauma, displacement, and life in a refugee camp. As Mohdin writes, the tension of recalling these events during therapy still affects her now, so many years later.
I spoke with Sheffield-based Helen Rufus, a registered play therapist and dyadic developmental practice-informed practitioner, who told me: “Childhood trauma can cast a long shadow over adult life, often leading to challenges in trust, emotional regulation, and self-worth.”
Some individuals attempt to forget these painful memories as a coping mechanism, believing that burying the past might shield them from resurfacing emotions. But as Rufus explains, “unresolved trauma can unconsciously influence behaviour and relationships, making healing and acknowledgment crucial for long-term well-being.”
The refugee experience
In Scattered Mohdin recounts her return to her origins, tracing her family’s escape from the Somali civil war through their years of struggle in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. The journey is not only a reminder of her roots but also an exploration of how these experiences shaped both her and her family.
At its core, Scattered is a meditation on family, displacement, and the search for belonging. The author skilfully blends her personal narrative with broader reflections on the refugee experience, making the book both intimate and universally relevant. The title reflects the fragmentation of her family’s life due to war and displacement, as well as the broader scattering of identities and communities resulting from such crises.
Mohdin’s writing is eloquent and powerful, combining the precision of an investigative journalist with the sensitivity of a storyteller. Her narrative vividly depicts the places and people she encounters along her journey.
Personal and universal insights
The details of Mohdin’s parents’ life in Somalia, the horrors of the civil war and their struggle for safety are both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Her research into the Somali civil war of the 1980s provides readers with a broader perspective.
Scattered excels in connecting the personal with the universal. Mohdin’s narrative extends beyond her family to reflect the experiences of millions displaced by conflict. Her exploration of the psychological impacts of displacement offers insights often missing from discussions of the refugee crisis.
At times the blend of reportage and memoir may challenge some readers. The shifts between personal reflection and broader analysis can feel jarring. Additionally, readers seeking a straightforward chronological narrative might find the book’s structure disorienting. Despite such minor drawbacks, Scattered is a deeply moving and insightful look into the refugee experience.
Is UK society ‘scattered’?
In 2023, the UK saw record levels of net migration, with approximately 672,000 new arrivals, according to the Office for National Statistics. This figure includes individuals arriving for work, study, and humanitarian reasons, with non-EU nationals forming the largest group.
While migration has undoubtedly enriched British society in many ways, it has also sparked tensions, recently illustrated by a wave of incidents such as the attack on a Holiday Inn Express that was housing asylum seekers in Rotherham and the violent riots following the Southport stabbing. These events highlight the hostility refugees and migrants face as they seek safety and stability in the UK.
Borders of the mind
Reading Scattered in our country’s current state of tension is emotionally charged. Mohdin explores physical borders while retracing her family’s journey from Somalia to Kenya and eventually to the UK. She considers how these borders were not just geographical divides but barriers impacting safety and identity. The refugee experience, we read, reveals how physical borders represent obstacles to identity and belonging.
There are also the psychological borders that refugees navigate – internal barriers arising from trauma, dislocation, and the struggle to reconcile one’s past with the present. She describes how these concepts influence her sense of identity and relationship with her heritage. For many refugees, the psychological challenges are as significant as the physical ones, as they grapple with alienation and the need to create a sense of home in a new land.
The surge of protests in the UK, driven by economic hardship, social inequality, and xenophobia, have exposed deep fractures within British society. Scattered highlights how displacement and the search for identity are not only personal struggles but also societal challenges. The reflections on borders, both physical and psychological, are particularly resonant as the UK confronts wider issues of belonging and exclusion in an era of rising immigration.
Final thoughts
The scars of exile and war linger long after the physical journey has ended. Scattered is an exploration of the costs and consequences of displacement, rendered even more relevant by current unrest in the UK. It’s a book that delves deep into the refugee experience and the ways in which it shapes individuals and communities. It is both a powerful piece of reportage and a deeply personal story of rediscovery.
Finally, Mohdin’s account is a reminder of human resilience and the importance of family and belonging, challenging readers to look beyond the headlines and understand the human reality behind immigration and displacement in the UK today. Scattered, by Aamna Mohdin, is published by Bloomsbury (June 2024).
