Sangano

Who am I? How did I get here? Have I arrived? After a lifetime of struggle, perseverance, and faith, these are the questions Norman Nhamu Musewe finds himself asking and the reason he wrote this memoir.

Norman knew from a young age he wanted to be a doctor. Growing up in Highfield, Zimbabwe (then known as Rhodesia), long waits at the doctor's office with his pregnant mother left Norman feeling frustrated by the state of things. Thus the seed was planted, and Norman's journey began: from medical school in Rhodesia to the United Kingdom in order to escape army conscription by the Rhodesian government, and then finally to Ontario, Canada, where family life and a career as a pediatric cardiologist brought trials and successes all their own. All the while, Norman faced obstacle after obstacle. Racism-in Rhodesia, where segregation was the norm; in university, where Black students were not offered the same supports as their white peers; and in the job market in Canada, where discrimination ran rampant. Mental illness and addiction hung over Norman's head like a cloud, and at times he felt lost in his pursuit of something better. Yet with the support of his loving wife and his God, Norman found healing, gratitude, and new ways of seeing the world.

Through this story of intertwined narratives, dislocations and pain, and being lost and then found again, Norman honours and remembers those who, at different times and in different ways, knowingly and unknowingly influenced his life and helped him learn to replant himself after being uprooted.