Book
A Man of Good Hope (2015) by Jonny Steinberg: one Somali refugee's journey to South Africa
A Man of Good Hope is a 2015 book by the South African writer Jonny Steinberg, published by Jonathan Cape in London and Knopf in New York. It tells the life of Asad Abdullahi, who at eight fled Mogadishu after his mother was killed in 1991, grew up moving between Kenya and Ethiopia, and travelled overland to South Africa, where he ran small township shops amid violence against foreign traders. It was shortlisted for the Alan Paton Award.
A Man of Good Hope
- Author
- Jonny Steinberg
- Year
- 2015
- Publisher
- Jonathan Cape; Knopf (US)
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780385352734
- Sources
- 5 sources
The book
A Man of Good Hope is by Jonny Steinberg, a South African writer and scholar who has written several books on South African society. It was published in January 2015 by Jonathan Cape in London and by Knopf in New York, with a paperback from Vintage later that year (Penguin Random House; Wikipedia).
The story
The book follows Asad Abdullahi, a Somali man whom Steinberg met in South Africa. In 1991, when Asad was eight, his mother was shot dead in Mogadishu during the civil war, and he fled the city. He was passed between relatives and others who could not protect him, and grew up in several East African cities, including a period as a street hustler in Addis Ababa (Penguin Random House).
He made his way through Kenya and Ethiopia to South Africa, relying on his wits and on Somali clan networks in the diaspora. In South Africa he built a small business as a shopkeeper in a township, but local violence against Somali and other foreign traders put it at risk (Irish Examiner). Somalis in the country are covered on Somalis in South Africa, and the journey through the region on Somalis in Ethiopia and Somalis in Kenya.
How it was written
Steinberg built the book from hundreds of hours of interviews with Asad, and travelled to the places where Asad had lived. He paid Asad for his life story, and the book discusses that arrangement openly (Irish Examiner). Steinberg also argues that the hostility to foreigners Asad met in South Africa is "a product of citizenship, the claiming of a new birthright" (Irish Examiner).
How it was received
- It was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Alan Paton Award and the Johannesburg Book Prize in 2015 (Wikipedia).
- The Guardian called it "a powerful testament to the resilience of humanity", and The Economist called it "compelling" (Penguin Random House).
- Dan Brotzel, in the Irish Examiner, called it "painstaking and humane" and praised its "forensic compassion", while noting it leaves readers with "a certain despair" (Irish Examiner).
- Richard Dowden, reviewing it for African Arguments, observed that as a novel the story might seem unconvincing, because fate works against Asad so often (African Arguments).
Where to read it
- In a library: WorldCat
Related pages
Sources
- Penguin Random House · penguinrandomhouse.com
- Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Irish Examiner · irishexaminer.com
- African Arguments · africanarguments.org
- WorldCat · search.worldcat.org
Toosoo!
Calankii is made by Toosoo, which works for one united, prosperous Somalia.
Can you help with A Man of Good Hope (2015) by Jonny Steinberg: one Somali refugee's journey to South Africa? Tell us what you can give.
I want to help with this
Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- City of Thorns (2016) by Ben Rawlence: nine lives in the Dadaab campsBen Rawlence's City of Thorns (2016) on the Dadaab camps in Kenya: the nine Somali lives it follows, its main argument and how reviewers received it.
- Desert Flower (1998) by Waris Dirie: from nomad girl to model and campaignerWaris Dirie's Desert Flower (1998): her nomad childhood, escape, modelling career and campaign against FGM; its publication, translations and the 2009 film.
- Infidel (2006) by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: the memoir, its story and its receptionAyaan Hirsi Ali's memoir Infidel (Mijn Vrijheid, 2006): what it covers from Somalia to the Dutch parliament, sales, praise, criticism and later books.
- Keeping Hope Alive (2013) by Hawa Abdi: a doctor's memoir of the war yearsHawa Abdi's memoir Keeping Hope Alive (2013): her training, the clinic and camp on her family's land, the attack of 2010, and how reviewers received it.
- A House in the Sky (2013) by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett: a memoir of captivity in SomaliaAmanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett's A House in the Sky (2013): the 2008-2009 kidnapping it describes, its reception and the debate around it, and where to read it.
- This Is What America Looks Like (2020) by Ilhan Omar: from refugee to CongressIlhan Omar's memoir This Is What America Looks Like (2020): her childhood in Mogadishu, the refugee years, life in the US and politics, and how reviewers from different sides received it.