A review by shelleyanderson4127
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

 
It's Banned Books Week (September 22-28) and I completely understand why this memoir has been banned in the US.

It's compelling, well written and honest. It's about a young lesbian woman, taken by her hard working parents from her South Asian home to a Middle Eastern country. She's poorer and darker than her class mates, many of whom are told by their parents not to associate with her.

Bored by boys, buoyed by crushes on her women teachers, she has a sudden revelation in her usually boring Quran class: the esteemed Maryam was never touched by any man. Was Maryam like her?

I learned so much from this thoughtfully written account of Lamya's discovery of her sexuality and identity, and how her deep faith supported her as she struggled with moving to the US, finishing grad school, navigating American white supremacy and Islamophobia, and gradually becoming herself: a proud, butch, hijabi woman.

This is a highly readable book for anyone interested in queer life, in spirituality, and how both meet in lived experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it. But beware: as with many banned books, both your knowledge of the world and your empathy may grow with reading it. Either one might put you at risk of becoming a better person.