Reviews tagging 'Racism'
This Arab Is Queer: An Anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab Writers by Elias Jahshan
2 reviews
rami_reads's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Misogyny
tigger89's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This collection of eighteen short essays by queer people with roots in the Arab world covers a wide variety of experiences, from gay and lesbian to trans and nonbinary, in many permutations. The content of the essays themselves are as varied as the authors, featuring everything from informative expository pieces(The Artist's Portrait of a Marginalized Man, by Danny Ramadan) to incredibly personal narratives(Return to Beirut, by Saleem Haddad). There's even something that appears to be short fiction(The Bad Son, by Raja Farah) as well as a piece that reads closer to poetry than anything else(Tweets to a Queer Arab Poet, by Omar Sakr). The contributors are Lebanese, Syrian, Sudanese, Iraqi, Egyptian and more, raised in both the Arab world and in the diaspora. The variety of voices featured, and the differing ways they choose to express their queerness, is this book's greatest strength.
There was little that really bothered me. Some essays were better than others. As mentioned in the introduction, there is some sexual content, both discussed and depicted in narrative form. I wasn't so much a fan of the latter(sex scenes in nonfiction always get me like that, it's too personal), but I understand why it was included from an artistic standpoint. My biggest complaint is that the included glossary was largely useless. Most of the terms in it were explained or translated in the works themselves, and every time I was unsure what a thing or phrase was, it was never in the glossary!
I recommend this book to anyone — LGBTQ or otherwise — who has an interest in exploring intersectional queer identities.
There was little that really bothered me. Some essays were better than others. As mentioned in the introduction, there is some sexual content, both discussed and depicted in narrative form. I wasn't so much a fan of the latter(sex scenes in nonfiction always get me like that, it's too personal), but I understand why it was included from an artistic standpoint. My biggest complaint is that the included glossary was largely useless. Most of the terms in it were explained or translated in the works themselves, and every time I was unsure what a thing or phrase was, it was never in the glossary!
I recommend this book to anyone — LGBTQ or otherwise — who has an interest in exploring intersectional queer identities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Dementia, Islamophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
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