Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

72 reviews

wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

I really enjoyed this. I want to be completely forthright and say that if you are the sort of reader who is put off by discussion of organized religion, reflection on religious texts, or recounting of any religious stories, this memoir is not going to be your cup of tea.

Hijab Butch Blues examines a bevy of intersections: immigrant, South Asian, Muslim, queer, feminist, and gender nonconformity, to name just a few. It was absolutely fascinating to read the parallels between the stories of the Quran, their teachings, interpretations, and moral questions, and see those interwoven with anecdotes of the author's own life. The memoir is a reflection on what it has meant to live as a queer, gender non-conforming, and in their own description a "visible Muslim" (ie. hijab wearing) immigrant both within and outside of the United States. They enumerate the specific challenges in navigating relationships with the queer community, being made to feel "not gay enough," being critiqued for adhering to an organized religion. They discuss their struggles to come out, how their coming out is received, how it can change or sever relationships. They relate with openness and vulnerability their racist experiences within the United States (New York in particular) as a brown skinned visibly Muslim person. They relay the challenges of navigating immigration, unceasing bureaucracy, ridiculous medical examinations required by their visa reapplications, and how early on they were explicitly instructed on what documents to carry and how to comport themself when faced with questioning from authorities. Most profoundly, Hijab Butch Blues reinforces that there is no set timeline for any of these reflections. That they are all a meaningful part of learning, unlearning, growth, and maturity. There is no perfect path. There is the one we take; the one we learn from; the bonds we form along the way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Toxic relationship and Suicidal thoughts

ladythana's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Racism, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Islamophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Police brutality, and Emotional abuse

hamletslover's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Islamophobia, Bullying, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexism, Racism, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

mbzoller's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective tense

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racism, Abandonment, Islamophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Domestic abuse, Slavery, and Colonisation

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Islamophobia, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Biphobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Ableism, Abandonment, Hate crime, Violence, Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Deportation, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Racial slurs

meagan123's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

1.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Classism, Misogyny, and Racism

Minor: Slavery and Biphobia

zinniash's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I enjoyed this book! The author has a simple, yet engaging way of reading and I loved reading about the different parts of Lamya’s life and how they relate to the Q’uran. It is a very inspiring piece that honestly gives hope to those of us who are still not living the life we want to. In any case, I was completely captivated throughout and I enjoyed it so much!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Xenophobia

savvylit's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

Lamya H is an immensely skilled memoirist. Hijab Butch Blues is full of emotionally evocative remembrances and shrewd reflections in equal measure. I appreciated her unique perspective as a devout Muslim and queer woman. The ways that she strengthened her sense of self alongside her faith were fascinating to experience secondhand.

That being said - and this is entirely my personal preference - I did not love the amount of religious parables retold throughout this memoir. I think it worked for Lamya's narrative, but I sometimes felt like I wanted to just know her and not the prophets of yore. Perhaps it's because I was already familiar with many of these parables as they're the same as many Christian ones (Jesus, Moses, Jonah) and that was the faith in which I was raised. Or perhaps it's because I am an atheist and religious parables in general give me the ick. If not for the parables, this would have been a five-star memoir for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Islamophobia, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia

stuckinatimeloop's review against another edition

5.0

loved this so much. as a queer muslim south asian "girl" who grew up in the middle east, this was really relatable to me. i absolutely love the way she uses stories from the quran as parallels to her own story, and makes me appreciate those stories and characters even more. much needed masterpiece of a book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Racism, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Classism

Minor: Rape

thepassivebookworm's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia