I was sixteen when I first felt the weight of being “almost understood.” My family had just moved to a new country, and I was navigating a language that felt like a half-stitched quilt—familiar in patches, foreign in others. I’d stand in grocery store aisles, paralyzed by the abundance of choices, or fumble through slang that made my classmates laugh in ways I didn’t intend. It wasn’t just the words; it was the unspoken rules, the glances that said, You don’t quite fit. That’s when I started listening—really listening—to the stories around me. The cab driver who used to be an engineer. The woman at the laundromat who hummed songs from a country she’d never return to. The kids in my neighborhood who carried their parents’ dreams like backpacks too heavy for their shoulders. Those stories became the heartbeat of LIBAAX: Grow Your Roots Where You Land, my debut novel, and the reason I wrote it.
Cedric Mu’s Immigrant Experience in LIBAAX
I chose to tell immigrant stories because I am one. I know the ache of being caught between worlds—neither fully here nor there, always stitching together an identity from scraps of memory and hope. LIBAAX follows Ayaan, a Somali immigrant in Detroit, who arrives with a civil engineering degree and a suitcase full of ghosts. He’s scrubbing dishes, spinning records, and riding his motorcycle, Libaax, through a city that’s both gritty and soulful. His story isn’t one of tragedy or triumph—it’s the messy, beautiful rhythm of becoming. Through Ayaan, I wanted to capture the in-between moments: the dishwashing jobs, the fleeting romances, the friendships that anchor you when the ground feels like quicksand.
Crafting Ayaan’s Story
Writing LIBAAX was like building a mixtape. I’d blast Somali qaraami melodies and trap beats, trying to weave their pulse into Ayaan’s DJ gigs. One night, while drafting the scene of his first performance, I could almost smell the sweat and neon of the underground club, hear the crowd’s roar as he layered old-world sounds with new-world fire. That chapter was a turning point—it felt like Ayaan was claiming his voice, and I was too. The challenge was staying honest. Migration isn’t a tidy arc of struggle-to-success. It’s raw, jagged, sometimes joyful, often lonely. I wanted to honor that complexity without slipping into clichés or pity.
Why I Focuses on Immigrants
Why immigrants? Because their stories are too often flattened into statistics or stereotypes. Ayaan isn’t just a refugee or a hero—he’s a guy who dreams big, stumbles hard, and keeps dancing anyway. He’s a composite of the people I’ve met: the first-generation youth reimagining themselves in unfamiliar cities, the former refugees who carry resilience like a second skin. Through Ayaan, I explore displacement, identity, and the way music becomes both memory and resistance. His friendships—with Ahmed, a reformed pirate; Maria, a law student; and Marcus, a quiet dreamer—show how chosen family can ground us. His fleeting romance with Isabeli, a fiery bartender, reminds us that love, even when it doesn’t last, can light up the dark.
Who Is LIBAAX For?
This book is for anyone who’s ever felt like they’re straddling worlds. It’s for readers who crave lyrical prose, emotional depth, and stories that center the marginalized without reducing them to their pain. It’s for educators, social workers, and students diving into diaspora studies. Most of all, it’s for immigrants and their children, who I hope will see their reflections in Ayaan’s journey. For others, I hope LIBAAX sparks empathy and curiosity—a chance to see immigrants as fully human, flawed, fierce, and luminous.
Transformation Through LIBAAX
One line from the book sticks with me: “He wasn’t the guy who fumbled slang or froze at Kroger’s endless aisles. On Libaax, he was elemental—a streak of fire painting sagas on the asphalt.” It captures Ayaan’s transformation, and in a way, it mirrors my own. Writing this book was my way of claiming space, of turning the chaos of migration into something poetic and defiant. I hope it does the same for readers.
Join Cedric Mu’s Journey with LIBAAX
LIBAAX: Grow Your Roots Where You Land is available on Amazon and through my website, cedricmuhikira.com, where you can also find updates on publication news, readings, and more. This fall, I’m hosting a book signing at a Detroit independent bookstore, along with Zoom readings, book club visits, and community discussions. Follow me on social media for dates and details—I’d love to connect and talk about migration, identity, and the power of stories.