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A queer hijabi Muslim immigrant survives her coming-of-age by drawing strength and hope from stories in the Quran in this daring, provocative, and radically hopeful memoir. When fourteen-year-old Lamya H realizes she has a crush on her teacher--her female teacher--she covers up her attraction, an attraction she can't yet name, by playing up her roles as overachiever and class clown. Born in South Asia, she moved to the Middle East at a young age and has spent years feeling out of place, like her own desires and dreams don't matter, and it's easier to hide in plain sight. To disappear. But one day in Quran class, she reads a passage about Maryam that changes everything: when Maryam learned that she was pregnant, she insisted no man had touched her. Could Maryam, uninterested in men, be . . . like Lamya? From that moment on, Lamya makes sense of her struggles and triumphs by comparing her experiences with some of the most famous stories in the Quran. She juxtaposes her coming out with Musa liberating his people from the pharoah; asks if Allah, who is neither male nor female, might instead be nonbinary; and, drawing on the faith and hope Nuh needed to construct his ark, begins to build a life of her own--ultimately finding that the answer to her lifelong quest for community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer, devout Muslim immigrant. This searingly intimate memoir in essays, spanning Lamya's childhood to her arrival in the United States for college through early-adult life in New York City, tells a universal story of courage, trust, and love, celebrating what it means to be a seeker and an architect of one's own life.
Wow, just wow. I didn't know what to expect when starting this memoir. Well, I was not expecting that. It is such a beautiful work, with a unique, well thought structure that completly helps to convey the author's messages. There such strentgh and at the same time, gentleness/thoughtfulness to the writing...I am blown away.
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I don't even know where to start with this review if not by saying: go for it, read this memoir. I've rarely come across such clever writing and structuring of a book. The religious references and stories are so well intertwined and woven into the author's own life stories and reflections, it truly - in intself, without explanation - shows how deeply faith can impact us and intregrate into our daily lives. There was such strentgh and yet gentleness, thoughtfulness in the way this book was written, despite the tough subjects that were discussed. I'm in awe. This was also such a good introduction to Islam. Beautifully written and explained. I am not muslim, but I was moved by the way the stories were told and the discussions and reflections related to them throughout the book. I feel like, I learnt things that I could apply to my daily life, even though, this is not my religion. And it makes me want to learn more about Islam. As a queer person, I could relate to some of the author's experiences and questions too. The subject was so well approached. I felt the questions, the rage, the fear and then, the calm, as if, they were my own. I did not want this book to end. In fact, I wish I could read this book for the first time again.