by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
After so much day-to-day contact with Somali students, hearing and seeing their difficulties in adjusting to a new society, Tammy Wilson decided to write a book so others could open their eyes and hearts to these new immigrants to America.
Wilson, a Sauk Rapids resident, is the principal of Discovery School in Waite Park. Her just-published novel, entitled Through My Eyes, is the story of an 11-year-old Somali girl named Zamzam, a refugee with her mother and brothers from the horrors of a civil war. In America, Zamzam faces culture shock, stereotyping by others, prejudices, to the point that she is compelled to keep asking herself the question: “Just who am I?” Through many sorrows, trials and tribulations, Zamzam slowly becomes stronger and more secure in her own identity by the time the book ends.
The 117-page book is colorfully illustrated by St. Joseph resident and esteemed local artist Jill Dubbeldee-Kuhn.
Zamzam is by no means unique, Wilson said. Many other refugees endure the same trials as Zamzam – from cultural misunderstandings to outright prejudices. The book, Wilson noted, is actually about anybody who feels “less than,” as Zamzam does. Through My Eyes touches on the themes of prejudice, poverty, diversity, hope, determination, resilience, and gender issues and biases.
Some adults who have read the book before it was published said they were impressed by how much it broadened their views and made them sensitive and compassionate toward refugees who have to cope with so many pressures, not the least of which is learning a new language.
At Discovery School, there are 470 students, pre-K through grade 5, and almost 50 percent of them are non-Caucasian – immigrants at one time or another from countries such as Vietnam, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Some of the students are currently homeless and live with their families in temporary places, like hotels and shelters, often on the move from one place to another.
“There is a strong sense of community at Discovery, and our teachers are very loving toward the students,” Wilson said.
That sense of warmth, kindness and family has informed her novel, almost unconsciously as she wrote it since her students and Discovery staff are very much part and parcel of Wilson’s daily life. Many of the stories in the book are based on actual stories she invited her students to share with her in listening sessions, and many of those stories, Wilson noted, are heart-breaking because of the suffering and death that happened in Somalia before the refugee families found safety and new homes in America. Some of the stories in the novel are invented by Wilson to fit the plot of the novel, but everything in the book is based directly or indirectly on the realities refugees experience. Wilson also talked with many parents of Somali students, and they have expressed gratitude someone was willing to tell their stories in the form of a book.
Although Through My Eyes was written basically for a middle-school readership, Wilson said anybody of any age could enjoy – and learn from – the novel, including Caucasian children who might have the same fears and rejections in trying “to fit in.” Wilson said she hopes to have copies of the books in all the libraries in all area schools, and some teachers have already expressed an interest in making Through My Eyes part of their classes. The book contains an introduction explaining the background of the refugee crisis in Somalia, a glossary of terms and a study guide at the end of the novel.
Meant to be
Wilson often feels as if Through My Eyes was just meant to be.
“I never intended to be an author,” she said. “But last year I decided I wanted to tell their story because I want them to be seen as people of value.”
She started the book last spring, then worked intensely on it through the summer. One lucky break occurred when, through a friend of a friend, she was made aware of an editor who works for the Huffington Post. That editor, a white American who had lived in Ethiopia for a time and had experienced culture shock herself, fully understood the nature and purpose of Wilson’s book, and she was more than happy to give her tips on how to revise it and make the writing tighter.
“The entire process just seemed to fall into place,” she said. “Everything just flowed.”
The manuscript was accepted for publication by Beaver Pond Press in Edina. Some pre-publication proof copies have been published, but the actual books are now rolling off the printing presses and will be available widely by the end of February.
A book launch and autograph session is set from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 at the St. Cloud Public Library, and anyone is welcome to attend it. At that event, Wilson will introduce some of the Somali students and parents who inspired her novel.
Through My Eyes will be sold via Amazon.com and at several local book stores, to be announced later.
Born in Minot, N.D., Wilson has long been in the education profession. She was offered the job as principal at Discovery School 18 months ago and moved to this area from White Bear Lake.
She has three grown children: Mike of St. Augusta; Nick of Hibbing; and Ashley Wolner of Cottage Grove.
An illustration in the novel Through My Eyes depicts three friends, including Zamzam, as they give one another penciled tattooes.
Tammy Wilson, the principal of Discovery School, is now a published author of a new novel.
