Out of Uganda in 90 days

by Urmila Patel

Ms. Patel’s startling memoir of survival, and escape from Idi Amin’s Uganda, is an amazing journey through cultures, beliefs, and life-and-death passions. Her girlhood growing up in an Indian Hindu family living in the East African nation of Uganda in the 1960s and 1970s. Like all those of Asian lineage, they were expelled from the country when the brutal dictator, Idi Amin, seized power. Ms. Patel describes their life before Amin, as seen through the eyes of a young girl. When the violence began, she was just beginning her passage into womanhood. Amin started encouraging violence toward Uganda’s Asian community as soon as he took over. This escalated, until the brutal dictator expelled all Asians, giving them 90 days to leave, or they would face death. Meanwhile his followers engaged in random murders, and more and more frequent massacres. Ms. Patel and her family witnessed much of this. At one point she even stood up to Amin’s murderous soldiers, yet she lived to tell her tale.

Genres: Africa

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2014

Reviews

[Kirby Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1971 Uganda's commander of the military was on the verge of being arrested for embezzling money from the army. Rather than face arrest and prison he staged a coupe and overthrew Uguanda's president Obote. His name was Adi Amin Dada and what followed was a decade of brutality, sadism, and genocide. When the smoke cleared as many as 500,000 Ugandans had been killed.

Mila Patel and her sisters were among those that suffered under the cruel dictator's rein. In 90 Days Out of Uganda the author puts a face on those victims. And it is a child's face. Follow her journey from Kampala to India and her amazing survival against all odds.

[Joanne W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A child's experience getting away from the brutal dictator Idi Amin's Uganda.

[Martina D'Angelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid story of triumph against adversity and survival against odds.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a memoir and thus limited by its own perspective. This is true of all memoirs and autobiographies but those limits are more noticable here where the subject matter constantly beckons you to dive deeper.

I want to know much more of the historical context which brought Idi Amin to power. I want to know more of the race relationships between Indians and Africans in Uganda. I want to know more. I just can't get those things here.

I've decided on 3 Stars but bounce back and forth between 3-4. I might end up at 4 by the end of this review. A good memoir needs self examination. Here the author tells her story but doesn't reflect on it. She had opportunity to fill in more details, context, reflection and analysis. She doesn't have to, but other memoirists do and I think I want to save a fourth star for that. Instead, Patel attempts at times to illuminate her narrative with occasional writer-y flourishes. And it just isn't her gift. Instead of waking up the story, it makes them feel less real.

I also want to add that I actually listened to this book on Audible and the reader was absolutely terrible. Why on earth would you get a reader that cannot pronounce a single Ugandan or Indian word? I'm not scoring the book on this. But, avoid the audiobook.

In the end, I'm grateful for the story that is preserved. I wish there were many more stories like this available so I can get a fuller picture of Uganda's history.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this story because of my personal interest in Africa and the intra- and interracial turmoil on that continent. Ms. Patel writes somewhat simplistically, but that is in keeping with the voice of her narrator, Mila, a preteen girl. Mila is born in India, but when she is very young, her family moves to Uganda, which becomes the only home she has ever known. She depicts the paradise she considers Uganda to be with its lovely landscape and the idyllic environs of her home which she and her sisters explore largely unsupervised. When Idi Amin, who was crazy enough to call himself the “King of Scotland,” takes over, things change dramatically. His presidency is marked by crimes against humanity, with the deaths of 500,000 of his own countrymen. Anyone who is from Asia, even if they’ve lived for multiple generations in Uganda, are forced from the country. Patel puts a face to all these nameless people. She gives enough of a description of the horrors that readers can visualize it but doesn’t overplay that aspect. The book follows her journey from Kampala back to India with her family.

[Destiny Bridwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I was asked to read this book by the author. I knew this is a true story and it is dark. It puts a face to the victims and is a very realistic tale of her escape from the dark world and country. This is about the pain and what they had to live through. I know that they make it to India and get free of the cruel work that they have known all of their lives. I don't want to tell too much about this book. I want to leave something for the reader to discover about her journey and what her struggle was like. 

[Kumaran Shanmugam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Painful exodus of Indians

I can connect with the story because I lived my childhood in West Africa and many of the author's experiences reminiscent of my early life in Sierra Leone and the Gambia. This true story starts with the peaceful life of the Indian family in Uganda and gradually moves towards a turbulent period due to the take over of the country by the dictator idi Amin and ends with the brutality of the dictator and the exodus of Indians from the country. Well narrated memoir which give the reader an insight into the Asian crisis in Uganda.

[Wilson Gov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Urmila at the former RAF base in Greenham to listen a bit of their story. Being a son of parents that also had to flee from (a different) war I wanted to learn more about the perspective of someone who had all these memories.
The book is easy to read and captivates the reader as Urmila starts by describing how life in Uganda was pre Amin and how overnight things changed and culminated and they leaving the country, their father and moving to India.
Loved to read this book.

[Booreiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. I just don't understand the age of the audience for this book. It is written in simple sentences and is from a child's point of view, but deals with vivid violence and adult topics. The author wrote this as an adult but not in the language of an adult; it was too simplistic, without any feeling and felt like a school essay.

She also included unnecessary information but fails to tell where her family members settled.

[Crimson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to call this a non fiction novel. It reads like a novel, suspenseful, gripping, great pacing, strong characters. And its a true story. The author shares her amazing experience as a child in a Hindu family escaping oppression and quite probably death in Uganda. this would make a great movie.

[Kasyap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard of Idi Amin, but haven't read about his reign up until now. Painful to visualize that the author and many others went through such horrors (being a live witness to killing & plunder) as a teen.The change in reality is explained in a concise manner and we can relate to the conditions faced by Asian families during Idi Amin's tenure.

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written. If I had realized this was self published, I might have skipped it. Definitely needed an editor.

I was looking to learn more about the history of Uganda & this situation in particular. This book came recommended in several searches.

It really didn’t teach me much about the political climate at this time. It’s the memoir of a child who lived through it.

[Eitan David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of Uganda in 90 Days is a True to life against the odds dramatic page turner. It would make for a great movie.

[Ravi Potharlanka · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting, the backstory, and the way the story develops are so enticing. It is almost incredible that something like this happened. Ms. Patel covers so much ground and one gets a clear sense of what it was to go through the whole trauma. But, it is poorly executed.

The writing is juvenile, sadly. She should have engaged an editor at least. A great story is left tarnished and butchered because of delivery. I was waiting for brilliant writing to emerge along the way, but it never elevated itself from middle school essays. ☹️

[JoAnn Ainsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author’s experiences in Uganda when Adi Amin seized power and drove “foreigners” out. Be ready for a lot of tea drinking and socializing.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great literature but a fascinating tale of actual historical events that happened during my adult life-time.