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clarkg's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Beautifully written, thematically rich, philosophically engaging, "Hijab Butch Blues" rearticulates the contours of the contemporary memoir into something incredible and fresh. Lamya H. is one of the great poets and thinkers of our time and has raised the bar for how we narrativize the stories of our lives.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and Deportation
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
carriepond's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
In Hijab Butch Blues, author Lamya H intermingles stories from the Quran and their own experiences growing up queer and Muslim, first in the Middle East and then, as an adult, in the United States after moving for college.
This was a great memoir. The author very eloquently discusses the feeling that persisted throughout their life of not quite fitting-- not quite fitting in growing up in the Middle East with dark brown skin and less wealth than schoolmates, and not quite fitting with the queer communities and Muslim communities after moving for the United States. There are also a lot of great reflections on coming out, the risks and rewards of that decision, and whether queer people need to be out to live, as someone told the author, "an authentically gay life." And along with these great reflections, we hear Lamya's own story, which is earnest and honest.
Recommend for folks who like memoirs, especially queer or coming-of-age memoirs.
This was a great memoir. The author very eloquently discusses the feeling that persisted throughout their life of not quite fitting-- not quite fitting in growing up in the Middle East with dark brown skin and less wealth than schoolmates, and not quite fitting with the queer communities and Muslim communities after moving for the United States. There are also a lot of great reflections on coming out, the risks and rewards of that decision, and whether queer people need to be out to live, as someone told the author, "an authentically gay life." And along with these great reflections, we hear Lamya's own story, which is earnest and honest.
Recommend for folks who like memoirs, especially queer or coming-of-age memoirs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Child abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
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