A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing: A Memoir Across Three Continents

By Mary-Alice Daniel

Book Overview

A poetic coming-of-age memoir that probes the legacies and myths of family, race, and religion--from Nigeria to England to America

Mary-Alice Daniel's family moved from West Africa to England when she was a very young girl, leaving behind the vivid culture of her native land in the Nigerian savanna. They arrived to a blanched, cold world of prim suburbs and unfamiliar customs. So began her family's series of travels across three continents in search of places of belonging.

A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing ventures through the physical and mythical landscapes of Daniel's upbringing. Against the backdrop of a migratory adolescence, she reckons with race, religious conflict, culture clash, and a multiplicity of possible identities. Daniel lays bare the lives and legends of her parents and past generations, unearthing the tribal mythologies that shaped her kin and her own way of being in the world. The impossible question of which tribe to claim as her own is one she has long struggled with: the Nigerian government recognizes her as Longuda, her father's tribe; according to matrilineal tradition, Daniel belongs to her mother's tribe, the nomadic Fulani; and the language she grew up speaking is that of the Hausa tribe. But her strongest emotional connection is to her adopted home: California, the final place she reveals to readers through its spellbinding history.

Daniel's approach is deeply personal: in order to reclaim her legacies, she revisits her unsettled childhood and navigates the traditions of her ancestors. Her layered narratives invoke the contrasting spiritualities of her tribes: Islam, Christianity, and magic. A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing is a powerful cultural distillation of mythos and ethos, mapping the far-flung corners of the Black diaspora that Daniel inherits and inhabits. Through lyrical observation and deep introspection, she probes the bonds and boundaries of Blackness, from bygone colonial empires to her present home in America.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062960040
• ISBN13: 9780062960047
• Release Date: November 2022
• Publisher: Ecco Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Poetic, thought provoking memoir

I'm drawn to story, especially the life stories of others. I also read to better understand the experiences of others. This book satisfied both of my preferences in a lovely way. In "A Coastline is an Immeasureable Thing," Mary-Alice Daniel interweaves history, geography, myth, and personal story in such a way as to make the reader ponder, reread, and reflect. Through honest, poetic writing, the author explores her origins and the complexities contained therein. She gives a window into her life in a way that is both beautiful to read and also demands thoughtful contemplation on the part of the reader. I come away from reading this book with a greater understanding of not only third culture kids, but also how origin stories are both complicated and hold immense worth. While I enjoyed reading this book and do not regret investing the time to do so, it was also a read that moved a bit slowly. I often felt it was not as much about the author as about her country of origin and its complexities, but this also made sense given the nature of the book. If you are looking for a traditional memoir full of personal story, this book is likely not for you. If, however, you are interested in exploring culture, identity, and origin through the lens of personal story, you won't be disappointed. *I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher.*