The Last Train From Djibouti: Africa Beckons Me, But America is My Home

by Otis L. Lee Jr.

Overview

“The Last Train from Djibouti is an odyssey you will not forget.” —Larry Bechtel, author of The Tinsmith’s Apprentice and sculptor

Otis Lee begins this story in the most innocuous of locations: a train from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Penn Station in New York City. But for Otis this journey brings to mind another train, from long ago and far away—representative of a past to which there can be no return. Based on the true experiences of Dr. Michelle Palmer Lee and her mentor, Dr. Harriett F.  Karuhije, The Last Train From Djibouti follows two women on a life-changing adventure as they travel separately to the Motherland, determined to find Africa and themselves. What they find is nothing like what they expected. As these two women grapple with questions of identity and character, what emerges is a larger picture of what it means to undertake an "unrequited return." Weaving entries from Michelle’s journal and Harriett’s observations together with his own research and experience, Otis depicts a microcosm of the African-American struggle to find roots in a culture that has been upended, shipped overseas, and become something new.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798218198077
Publisher:	FitzGerald company Press
Publication date:	05/25/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	308
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Otis L. Lee, Jr., is a retired attorney. Formerly a member of both the Pennsylvania and Virginia Bar. He formerly served on the faculties of several Midwestern and East Coast Universities and as a former Director, Coordinator and contributing author to the Howard University School Of Business 1980 Project to Revise and Edit the U.S. Department of Commerce manual entitled Local Economic Development Corporation, Legal and Financial Guidelines. Lee is also the author of the memoir, From South Boston to Cambridge, The Making of One Philadelphia Lawyer. Lee's career has included assignments with the Harris Trust and Savings Bank in Chicago, Illinois as a Trust New Business Solicitor, Panel Executive for the Panel on Product Liability for the United States Chamber of Commerce and as an Advanced Underwriting Consultant for the Mid-Atlantic Region for the New York Life Insurance Company.

Editorial Reviews

"Skillfully using a train ride as a metaphor, Otis L. Lee, Jr.'s The Last Train From Djibouti is a remarkable journey through the experiences of two African-American women, who, each for their own reasons, return to Africa, the "motherland," and are alternately shocked, inspired, disappointed, and moved--and who return to the United States with a profoundly enlarged view of themselves as African-Americans who have come to recognize that America, for all its faults, is their true home. With useful reflections about the complex history of Africa, the lasting effects of colonialism, and the struggles of African-Americans to find their rightful place in the world, Otis L. Lee Jr. wisely enlarges the readers understanding of the two women's experiences. Along the way, he appeals to a rich assembly of historians, philosophers, and poets. The Last Train from Djibouti is a book, and an odyssey, you will not forget."--Larry Bechtel, author of The Tinsmith's Apprentice and sculptor

"I unequivocally recommend the book. As a bonus, it is well-written and offers a great education in cultural realism and personal growth." --Alvin Foster, D.Ed.

"Last Train from Djibouti is really compelling. The core issue--African Americans' attempt to reconnect with a homeland where they never lived--is complex and deeply interesting. Otis L. Lee, Jr. draws the characters carefully and, as a reader, I'm hooked." --Stefan Bechtel, best-selling author of Through A Glass, Darkly, Mr. Hornaday's War

From the Publisher