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Table of Contents
About The Book
An uncompromising portrait of identity, family, religion, race, and class that “cuts to the bone” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) told through Omer Aziz’s incisive and luminous prose.
In a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of Toronto, miles away from wealthy white downtown, Omer Aziz struggles to find his place as a first-generation Pakistani Muslim boy. He fears the violence and despair of the world around him, and sees a dangerous path ahead, succumbing to aimlessness, apathy, and rage.
In his senior year of high school, Omer quickly begins to realize that education can open up the wider world. But as he falls in love with books, and makes his way to Queen’s University in Ontario, Sciences Po in Paris, Cambridge University in England, and finally Yale Law School, he continually confronts his own feelings of doubt and insecurity at being an outsider, a brown-skinned boy in an elite white world. He is searching for community and identity, asking questions of himself and those he encounters, and soon finds himself in difficult situations—whether in the suburbs of Paris or at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Yet the more books Omer reads and the more he moves through elite worlds, his feelings of shame and powerlessness only grow stronger, and clear answers recede further away.
Weaving together his powerful personal narrative with the books and friendships that move him, Aziz wrestles with the contradiction of feeling like an Other and his desire to belong to a Western world that never quite accepts him. He poses the questions he couldn’t have asked in his youth: Was assimilation ever really an option? Could one transcend the perils of race and class? And could we—the collective West—ever honestly confront the darker secrets that, as Aziz discovers, still linger from the past?
In Brown Boy, Omer Aziz has written an eye-opening book that eloquently describes the complex process of creating an identity that fuses where he’s from, what people see in him, and who he knows himself to be.
In a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of Toronto, miles away from wealthy white downtown, Omer Aziz struggles to find his place as a first-generation Pakistani Muslim boy. He fears the violence and despair of the world around him, and sees a dangerous path ahead, succumbing to aimlessness, apathy, and rage.
In his senior year of high school, Omer quickly begins to realize that education can open up the wider world. But as he falls in love with books, and makes his way to Queen’s University in Ontario, Sciences Po in Paris, Cambridge University in England, and finally Yale Law School, he continually confronts his own feelings of doubt and insecurity at being an outsider, a brown-skinned boy in an elite white world. He is searching for community and identity, asking questions of himself and those he encounters, and soon finds himself in difficult situations—whether in the suburbs of Paris or at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Yet the more books Omer reads and the more he moves through elite worlds, his feelings of shame and powerlessness only grow stronger, and clear answers recede further away.
Weaving together his powerful personal narrative with the books and friendships that move him, Aziz wrestles with the contradiction of feeling like an Other and his desire to belong to a Western world that never quite accepts him. He poses the questions he couldn’t have asked in his youth: Was assimilation ever really an option? Could one transcend the perils of race and class? And could we—the collective West—ever honestly confront the darker secrets that, as Aziz discovers, still linger from the past?
In Brown Boy, Omer Aziz has written an eye-opening book that eloquently describes the complex process of creating an identity that fuses where he’s from, what people see in him, and who he knows himself to be.
Reading Group Guide
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This reading group guide for Brown Boy includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
Brown Boy is an uncompromising interrogation of identity, family, religion, race, and class, told through Omer Aziz’s incisive and luminous prose.
In a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of Toronto, miles away from wealthy white downtown, Omer Aziz struggles to find his place as a first-generation Pakistani Muslim boy. He fears the violence and despair of the world around him and sees a dangerous path ahead, succumbing to aimlessness, apathy, and rage.
Weaving together his powerful personal narrative with the books and friendships that move him, Aziz wrestles with the contradiction of feeling like an Other and his desire to belong to a Western world that never quite accepts him. He poses the questions he couldn’t have asked in his youth: Was assimilation ever really an option? Could one transcend the perils of race and class? And could we—the collective West—ever honestly confront the darker secrets that, as Aziz discovers, still linger from the past?
In Brown Boy, Omer Aziz has written a book that eloquently describes the complex process of creating an identity that fuses where he’s from, what people see in him, and who he knows himself to be.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Think back to the opening of this memoir. Why do we start in an interrogation room in Israel rather than Canada or America or somewhere else? What is the significance of beginning here, and how does this scene echo throughout Omer’s coming-of-age story?
2. The first scene establishes how one can be an outsider with others despite similar race, ethnicity, or culture. How does the author establish this feeling to echo with the rest of the book and how does he find ways to navigate his identity, religious upbringing, and professional life?
3. How does family, cultural, and generational differences come into play in this work?
4. How does privilege play a role in this memoir? For example, how does Omer’s experience growing up in a Canadian working-class town differ from his time in a French low-income immigrant town for example?
5. In Paris, Omer faces an existential crisis, depression, and shame over his life and the expectations of his family. How has his past affected his future? What are ways families can help their children succeed while encouraging mental health and growth?
6. Describe Omer’s return to Canada from England. How is he treated differently? Think back to a time when you made your own path in life and returned to your hometown. How were you treated differently or the same? What changes did you see in yourself, in others, in your environment?
7. What does the title Brown Boy mean to you after reading the memoir?
8. How does history play a significant role in this book?
9. How do we view the ending on Omer’s journey to Pakistan? What did you learn from it?
10. How has Omer changed over the course of the memoir? What did you take away from the book?
11. Consider Omer’s love of books as a transformative experience. What books have changed your life?
12. How play does class differ in America, England, and France through the author’s perspective? How are these places similar but distinct and how does the author navigate these places?
13. The title Brown Boy was inspired by Richard Wright's Black Boy. After reading this memoir, read Richard Wright’s classical text and note how Omer and Richard are having the same conversation or where they differ.
14. In Brown Boy, Omer says this about memory: “Memory was testimony, a record of partial truths, a reclamation of personal history. Memory was imperfect, but it was a record that could be preserved, a way of seeing” (page 293). How have your memories played to you and your family’s truths and history? How have they shaped who you are today and who you were before?
Introduction
Brown Boy is an uncompromising interrogation of identity, family, religion, race, and class, told through Omer Aziz’s incisive and luminous prose.
In a tough neighborhood on the outskirts of Toronto, miles away from wealthy white downtown, Omer Aziz struggles to find his place as a first-generation Pakistani Muslim boy. He fears the violence and despair of the world around him and sees a dangerous path ahead, succumbing to aimlessness, apathy, and rage.
Weaving together his powerful personal narrative with the books and friendships that move him, Aziz wrestles with the contradiction of feeling like an Other and his desire to belong to a Western world that never quite accepts him. He poses the questions he couldn’t have asked in his youth: Was assimilation ever really an option? Could one transcend the perils of race and class? And could we—the collective West—ever honestly confront the darker secrets that, as Aziz discovers, still linger from the past?
In Brown Boy, Omer Aziz has written a book that eloquently describes the complex process of creating an identity that fuses where he’s from, what people see in him, and who he knows himself to be.
Topics & Questions for Discussion
1. Think back to the opening of this memoir. Why do we start in an interrogation room in Israel rather than Canada or America or somewhere else? What is the significance of beginning here, and how does this scene echo throughout Omer’s coming-of-age story?
2. The first scene establishes how one can be an outsider with others despite similar race, ethnicity, or culture. How does the author establish this feeling to echo with the rest of the book and how does he find ways to navigate his identity, religious upbringing, and professional life?
3. How does family, cultural, and generational differences come into play in this work?
4. How does privilege play a role in this memoir? For example, how does Omer’s experience growing up in a Canadian working-class town differ from his time in a French low-income immigrant town for example?
5. In Paris, Omer faces an existential crisis, depression, and shame over his life and the expectations of his family. How has his past affected his future? What are ways families can help their children succeed while encouraging mental health and growth?
6. Describe Omer’s return to Canada from England. How is he treated differently? Think back to a time when you made your own path in life and returned to your hometown. How were you treated differently or the same? What changes did you see in yourself, in others, in your environment?
7. What does the title Brown Boy mean to you after reading the memoir?
8. How does history play a significant role in this book?
9. How do we view the ending on Omer’s journey to Pakistan? What did you learn from it?
10. How has Omer changed over the course of the memoir? What did you take away from the book?
11. Consider Omer’s love of books as a transformative experience. What books have changed your life?
12. How play does class differ in America, England, and France through the author’s perspective? How are these places similar but distinct and how does the author navigate these places?
13. The title Brown Boy was inspired by Richard Wright's Black Boy. After reading this memoir, read Richard Wright’s classical text and note how Omer and Richard are having the same conversation or where they differ.
14. In Brown Boy, Omer says this about memory: “Memory was testimony, a record of partial truths, a reclamation of personal history. Memory was imperfect, but it was a record that could be preserved, a way of seeing” (page 293). How have your memories played to you and your family’s truths and history? How have they shaped who you are today and who you were before?
About The Author
Photograph by Amr Jayousi
Omer Aziz is a lawyer, writer, and former foreign policy advisor in the administration of the Canadian Prime Minister. He was born to working-class parents of Pakistani origin in Toronto, Canada, and with the help of scholarships, became the first in his family to go to college in the West, later studying in Paris, at Cambridge University, and Yale Law School. Aziz has clerked for the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria and served as a foreign policy advisor in the government of Justin Trudeau. He has held residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell and has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, New York magazine, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and many other publications. He was most recently a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University. Brown Boy is his first book.
Why We Love It
“In luminous and honest prose, Omer Aziz’s memoir delves into his childhood as the son of Pakistani immigrants in Canada, rising through elite educational institutions and organizations, inspired by the charisma of Barack Obama. Through his ascent, Aziz questions if assimilation is truly the only option, and if so, what is its cost? In this compelling memoir, I was reminded of the wisdom found in Saeed Jones How We Fight for Our Lives, and the beautiful and powerful commentary in Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland. Equal parts of engaging prose and good humor, Brown Boy is a memoir that will stay with you long after the page, addressing questions on race, class, and culture.”
—Kathy B., VP, Editorial Director, on Brown Boy
Product Details
- Publisher: Scribner (April 4, 2023)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781982136338
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Raves and Reviews
"A sterling portrait of personal revelation, cuts to the bone." -- Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
"The significance of Omer Aziz’s Brown Boy is captured in the very first story he tells--that tension between being caught between two worlds. When Derek Walcott writes, 'Where shall I turn, divided to the vein?,' Aziz responds with Brown Boy, a powerful articulation of what it means to navigate not just identities, but borders and possibility." --Reginald Dwayne Betts, author of Felon
"A brilliant and moving memoir of, among other things, class migration and the choices made by outsiders. Aziz writes with sensitivity and honesty about the tensions between growing up in a working class immigrant home and the worlds of elite education and politics. This book will surely make it onto any reading list exploring the twin preoccupations of our time: race and class." -- Zia Haider Rahman, author of In The Light of What We Know
"Omer Aziz’s astonishing journey from economic hardship and violence to Yale and becoming a foreign policy advisor would be fascinating even if it didn’t tell us things we absolutely need to know: Why have the white and minority communities withdrawn into their separate corners; what can be done to bring them together? An essential memoir." -- Akhil Sharma, author of Family Life and An Obedient Father.
“This breathtaking, brilliant memoir had me from page one—I couldn’t put it down. Omer Aziz is a poet, his writing luminous. Brown Boy is eye-opening, achingly honest, alternately hilarious and heartbreaking—an unforgettable book.” —Amy Chua, author of Political Tribes and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
"Brown Boy is a poignant, unflinching exploration of cultural identity: the roles we perform, the ways we are misperceived, and the conflicted feelings we can have about our pasts. Omer Aziz illuminates what it is like to be the child of immigrants and the unique invisibility that comes with being South Asian. I saw myself reflected in these pages. How rare, to encounter one’s story with such candor and vulnerability. How rare, and how necessary."
—Maya Shanbhag Lang, author of What We Carry, a New York Times Editors’ Choice
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Brown Boy eBook 9781982136338
- Author Photo (jpg): Omer Aziz Photograph by Amr Jayousi(0.1 MB)
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