Reviews

The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam by G. Willow Wilson

natachder's review

5.0

Going in between Europe and North Africa myself, I have read many memoir/travelogue kind of books. I enjoyed most of them and most of them manage to convey some interesting insights on expat life and cultural differences and peculiarities. But The Butterfly Mosque is the first book I read, which truly surpasses scratching at the surface. The author does not restrict herself to well-meaning and funny anecdotes of expat life. Her pursuit to live her life in Egypt and relate to her family-in-law really goes a lot deeper. Her account is thoughtful, moving and entertaining and resonated with me. Many things I never understood or were never able to put into words suddenly became clear. Thanks for this book!

bumblero's review

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Another one of those white lady escapes abroad because of her spiritual angst type stories. I was interested in reading about her experiences as a convert to Islam, but it was so centered on her experiences abroad and marrying into her husbands family that it was hard to see what made the faith so compelling to her.

happytrip80's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

tracyksmith_reads's review

5.0

Beautifully written.

sofiam012345's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

amandae129's review

5.0

I highly recommend this for people who want a personal account of Islam, Arabs and Egypt (with a bit of Iran thrown in) from an American perspective that isn't the media. It made me sad that my trip to Egypt was canceled in 2000.

mschrock8's review

3.0

Hard and confusing. It tugged at my heart. Willow & Omar's marriage and life together faced many struggles. I wonder what happened next?

hellsfire's review

4.0

I didn't know if I would enjoy The Butterfly Mosque. I've never had an identity crisis, haven't lived outside the country, gone to a four year school, I'm a guy and am an atheist. Surprisingly enough, I not only enjoyed it but related with Willow and her journey.

The Butterfly Mosque is a story about growing up, trying to fit in, and trying to fill that void in your life. I can relate to all that. Those themes played through the book more than the love story and religion. That's why anyone can and should read it. If TBM just focused on love and religion, it wouldn't have been as good. Some people would have been turned off and just from reading the cover have probably been.

I do wish the Willow falling in love with Omar had been expanded upon. For one, our society's different from theirs but it also seemed to move too fast. It wasn't that Willow and Omar fell in love fast but more that I wanted to know what they did or didn't do. On the one hand, they were married but on the other they were not. You see, it's all very confusing. But as someone who exists in two worlds, it always is.

drbooknerd's review against another edition

5.0

This book not only lived up to my expectations, but exceeded them. Wilson's inspiring journey to Islam, the change of scenery from America to Egypt, the relationships she has (not to mention meeting her husband), her voice and the way she describes all of these made for a very sumptuous, enthralling and lovely read, to say the least. Some of the themes she talks about through her experiences as a convert, in a world where Islam is not seen in the best light, is of course, very relevant still today. Her life in Egypt is described in such detail and in very personal terms, it makes you fall in love with the story, her life and her journey - so much so that I almost wish she had written another book to cover what has occurred in her life since then. I know that several of my friend on the site already have it on their to-read list and if you are reading this and you don't, you should definitely add it now. Haven't loved a book this much in a long long time.

scheu's review

4.0

I picked this up because the author wrote a book I loved (Alif the Unseen) and a comic that I'm currently reading (Ms. Marvel). Also, she grew up in Colorado (where I live!) and plays WoW (a fact that is not mentioned in the book but I will add because I also play). I can't speak as to the spiritual aspects of Wilson's memoir, as I am an atheist, but the parts about how she met and built a relationship with her husband were charming. I also learned a number of things about Islam about which I was previously unaware (see above). I hope that one day she will write another memoir about having kids, writing comics, and transitioning back to the USA with her husband. I'd pick it up too!