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lunarreads's review
I think I wasn't in the right headset to read this book. Additionally, as I'm not British, I think alot of niche references flew over my head.
aligeorge's review
4.0
The Things I Would Tell You is an anthology of poetry, prose, drama and non fiction. As such there is probably something for everyone on there, and it’s a very interesting and timely read. Editor Sabrina Mahfouz uses a quote from Ahdaf Soueif in the intro to explain the premise of the collection:
“I felt upset and angered by the misrepresentations I encountered constantly and I felt grateful when a clear-eyed truth was spoken about us. And then again, who was ‘us’?”
The book looks to answer that question, unpicking the notion there’s one homogenous ‘us’ that applies to all Muslim people and that it’s the version told by the Western media (radicalised, scary, etc).
There are a lot of stand out pieces in here. The opening story, Under The Cypress Tree by Fadia Faqir, tells a story of a burgeoning almost friendship between an elderly, racist white woman named Doris and her new Bedouin neighbour Timam - but it doesn’t necessarily go in the direction you might think.
Cutting Someone’s Heart Out with a Spoon by Chimene Suleyman might have been my favourite story, just because it’s so weird and wonderful. The Girl Next Door by Kamila Shamsie was an interesting look into the juxtaposing worlds of a Westernised Muslim woman who has returned after living in Britain and one who has never left Pakistan. The extract from Battleface, a play by Sabrina Mahfouz, unfolds brilliantly and I don’t know how to review it without giving anything away but suffice to say I would love to see it in full.
In summary, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes good storytelling.
“I felt upset and angered by the misrepresentations I encountered constantly and I felt grateful when a clear-eyed truth was spoken about us. And then again, who was ‘us’?”
The book looks to answer that question, unpicking the notion there’s one homogenous ‘us’ that applies to all Muslim people and that it’s the version told by the Western media (radicalised, scary, etc).
There are a lot of stand out pieces in here. The opening story, Under The Cypress Tree by Fadia Faqir, tells a story of a burgeoning almost friendship between an elderly, racist white woman named Doris and her new Bedouin neighbour Timam - but it doesn’t necessarily go in the direction you might think.
Cutting Someone’s Heart Out with a Spoon by Chimene Suleyman might have been my favourite story, just because it’s so weird and wonderful. The Girl Next Door by Kamila Shamsie was an interesting look into the juxtaposing worlds of a Westernised Muslim woman who has returned after living in Britain and one who has never left Pakistan. The extract from Battleface, a play by Sabrina Mahfouz, unfolds brilliantly and I don’t know how to review it without giving anything away but suffice to say I would love to see it in full.
In summary, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes good storytelling.
suadolaps's review
4.0
3.5 / 5
Lovely collection by British Muslim writers! I particularly enjoyed the play by Leila Aboulela and Kamila Shamsie’s short story. It was also a pleasure to discover voices I’d never come across!
Lovely collection by British Muslim writers! I particularly enjoyed the play by Leila Aboulela and Kamila Shamsie’s short story. It was also a pleasure to discover voices I’d never come across!
fizreads's review
4.0
A collection of short stories, plays, poetry and essays this was an insightful yet heart-breaking read. It hits hard as there was so much in here that I could relate to.
Added to my- must read, timely, we need to keep having conversations.
My favourites-
- Chimene Suleyman- Us
- Aliyah Hasinah Holder- New Blood
- Kamila Shamsie- The Girl Next Door
- Imtiaz Dharker- The Right Word/ Aixa at the Alhambra/ Never trust the daffodils and I need, (which was my favourite(
- Ahdaf Soueif- Mezzaterra
- Seema Begum- Uomini Cadranno (she wrote this when she was 14, wow it was amazing, going to be googling her because I would read an entire collection by her so beautiful.)
- Leila Aboulela- The Insider
- Shaista Aziz- The Blood and Broken Bodies
- Aisha Mirza- Staying Alive Through Brexit Racism, Mental Health and Emotional Labour
Popsugar Reading Challenge- A book that features two languages
Added to my- must read, timely, we need to keep having conversations.
My favourites-
- Chimene Suleyman- Us
- Aliyah Hasinah Holder- New Blood
- Kamila Shamsie- The Girl Next Door
- Imtiaz Dharker- The Right Word/ Aixa at the Alhambra/ Never trust the daffodils and I need, (which was my favourite(
- Ahdaf Soueif- Mezzaterra
- Seema Begum- Uomini Cadranno (she wrote this when she was 14, wow it was amazing, going to be googling her because I would read an entire collection by her so beautiful.)
- Leila Aboulela- The Insider
- Shaista Aziz- The Blood and Broken Bodies
- Aisha Mirza- Staying Alive Through Brexit Racism, Mental Health and Emotional Labour
Popsugar Reading Challenge- A book that features two languages
rushda's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I went into this book blind, not knowing much about it beyond what the title says. That in itself was enough to intrigue me, especially as I'd enjoyed the similar anthology It's Not About the Burqa. Unfortunately, it didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped.
What was great was that the book included Muslim women from a range of ages, ethnic backgrounds, professional backgrounds and included a queer writer too. They had unique voices and each chapter was distinct.
What let the book down for me was a lack of focus. It was a mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry — some that were originally spoken word — and plays, and not all of them worked as well in print format as they might have done, for example, on stage or on the radio.
As is pretty typical with anthologies, there was also quite a bit of diversity in the quality of writing too (surprisingly, it wasn't the youngest and least experienced writer, a 15-year-old, whose work I felt was weaker!).
Overall, a great initiative but I wish the execution was better.
What was great was that the book included Muslim women from a range of ages, ethnic backgrounds, professional backgrounds and included a queer writer too. They had unique voices and each chapter was distinct.
What let the book down for me was a lack of focus. It was a mix of fiction, non-fiction, poetry — some that were originally spoken word — and plays, and not all of them worked as well in print format as they might have done, for example, on stage or on the radio.
As is pretty typical with anthologies, there was also quite a bit of diversity in the quality of writing too (surprisingly, it wasn't the youngest and least experienced writer, a 15-year-old, whose work I felt was weaker!).
Overall, a great initiative but I wish the execution was better.
nicolet2018's review
3.0
I was really interested to pick this up because I wanted to read from different perspectives. I do feel that muslim women are stereotyped and I was hoping this collection would provide a look into these womens' lives. Was it really so different from mine?
As usual, I will review the pieces individually.
Under the Cypress Tree by Fadia Faqir
I liked this one, an unlikely friendship between two elderly women with a twist. I could not quite understand the flashbacks Doris had. I wished those were explained more.
Home, to a Man by Amina Jama
Poetry usually eludes me unless it is straight forward. This one held echoes I could identify with and feel upset about but some parts were confusing.
Cutting Someone's Heart Out with a Spoon by Chimene Sulayman
I did not really understand this story of two teenage boys trying to sell the gall bladder of one of them. They were trying to remove it with a spoon, obviously it is not possible. Though at times I was scared that something gross would happen.
Sentence by Aliya Hasinah Holder
These poems were part literal and other times too abstract to get.
The Girl Next Door by Kamila Shamsie
I quite liked this as the main characters makes comparisons to this neighbour she used to know who went to the west and changed. It seems to explore how we stereotype others who are the opposite of what we believe. Also how women are brought up to be competitive instead of supportive of one another.
The Right Word by Imtiaz Dharker
Again, rather abstract. Perhaps I do not understand because I am not the target audience.
Islamic Tinder by Triska Hamid
I have been wanting to find out if there was really an islamic version of Tinder. A piece that feels current as women are advancing in the workplace and find it difficult to date because of the traditional view of their religions. Men just don't like a woman who is capable or possibly better than him.
This Body is Woman by Nafeesa Hamid
This felt relatable but the use of the word "woman" felt too repetitive and did not make sense the way it was put into sentences.
Mezzaterra by Ahdaf Soueif
This was actually interesting, it felt like an honest commentary on how the western world stereotypes the Middle East and denies aid to those who need it the most. But there was alot of information to digest and it went over my head.
Uominni Candranno by Seems Begum
I did not really understand this.
The Insider by Leila Aboelela
I did not like the way the story was presented in a. script form. It was confusing and did not connect with me.
Fallujah, Basrah by Shazhi Quraishi
The first set of poems sounded so sad. But most after that was confusing.
Blood and Broken Bodies by Shaista Aziz
This piece talks about how honour killings are normalised in the Middle East and how females are so controlled in their interactions with men. I could not help but feel upset.
Stand by Me by Miss L
The author talks about how she is constantly stereotypes for acting roles based on her skin colour. I do feel like more variety needs to be given.
Staying Alive through Brexit Racism, Mental Health and Emotional Labour by Aisha Mirza
It was quite surprising to see a muslim woman identify as gay. But I did not really under stand her narrative.
The Things I would Tell You by Hibaq Osman
Did not understand these poems either.
Brown Girl by Azra Tabassum
The first poem spoke about the expectations (none) put on coloured females whilst the other poems were hard to understand.
Take Me There by Selma Dabbagh
I was not sure if this was a fictional story based on the situation in the Middle East or a real life experience.
Last Assignment to Jenin by Selma Dabbagh
This was such a sad story of two lovers who are torn apart by war.
Belongings by Esma Elbadawi
In some ways I got this and at others, nope.
My Other Half by Samira Shackle
Intriguing piece on returning to your homeland to discover what you have been missing. I like that the author highlights the flaws and upsides of going back.
Battleface by Sabrina Mahfouz
An interesting script between an MI6 agent and a plastic surgeon. At the end, I am not sure who wins. This was good.
An Eye That Sees by Hanan Al-Shaykh
This was okay.
Overall, a well rounded collection using different mediums of writing but most of the writing did not call to me. This is a good start though.
As usual, I will review the pieces individually.
Under the Cypress Tree by Fadia Faqir
I liked this one, an unlikely friendship between two elderly women with a twist. I could not quite understand the flashbacks Doris had. I wished those were explained more.
Home, to a Man by Amina Jama
Poetry usually eludes me unless it is straight forward. This one held echoes I could identify with and feel upset about but some parts were confusing.
Cutting Someone's Heart Out with a Spoon by Chimene Sulayman
I did not really understand this story of two teenage boys trying to sell the gall bladder of one of them. They were trying to remove it with a spoon, obviously it is not possible. Though at times I was scared that something gross would happen.
Sentence by Aliya Hasinah Holder
These poems were part literal and other times too abstract to get.
The Girl Next Door by Kamila Shamsie
I quite liked this as the main characters makes comparisons to this neighbour she used to know who went to the west and changed. It seems to explore how we stereotype others who are the opposite of what we believe. Also how women are brought up to be competitive instead of supportive of one another.
The Right Word by Imtiaz Dharker
Again, rather abstract. Perhaps I do not understand because I am not the target audience.
Islamic Tinder by Triska Hamid
I have been wanting to find out if there was really an islamic version of Tinder. A piece that feels current as women are advancing in the workplace and find it difficult to date because of the traditional view of their religions. Men just don't like a woman who is capable or possibly better than him.
This Body is Woman by Nafeesa Hamid
This felt relatable but the use of the word "woman" felt too repetitive and did not make sense the way it was put into sentences.
Mezzaterra by Ahdaf Soueif
This was actually interesting, it felt like an honest commentary on how the western world stereotypes the Middle East and denies aid to those who need it the most. But there was alot of information to digest and it went over my head.
Uominni Candranno by Seems Begum
I did not really understand this.
The Insider by Leila Aboelela
I did not like the way the story was presented in a. script form. It was confusing and did not connect with me.
Fallujah, Basrah by Shazhi Quraishi
The first set of poems sounded so sad. But most after that was confusing.
Blood and Broken Bodies by Shaista Aziz
This piece talks about how honour killings are normalised in the Middle East and how females are so controlled in their interactions with men. I could not help but feel upset.
Stand by Me by Miss L
The author talks about how she is constantly stereotypes for acting roles based on her skin colour. I do feel like more variety needs to be given.
Staying Alive through Brexit Racism, Mental Health and Emotional Labour by Aisha Mirza
It was quite surprising to see a muslim woman identify as gay. But I did not really under stand her narrative.
The Things I would Tell You by Hibaq Osman
Did not understand these poems either.
Brown Girl by Azra Tabassum
The first poem spoke about the expectations (none) put on coloured females whilst the other poems were hard to understand.
Take Me There by Selma Dabbagh
I was not sure if this was a fictional story based on the situation in the Middle East or a real life experience.
Last Assignment to Jenin by Selma Dabbagh
This was such a sad story of two lovers who are torn apart by war.
Belongings by Esma Elbadawi
In some ways I got this and at others, nope.
My Other Half by Samira Shackle
Intriguing piece on returning to your homeland to discover what you have been missing. I like that the author highlights the flaws and upsides of going back.
Battleface by Sabrina Mahfouz
An interesting script between an MI6 agent and a plastic surgeon. At the end, I am not sure who wins. This was good.
An Eye That Sees by Hanan Al-Shaykh
This was okay.
Overall, a well rounded collection using different mediums of writing but most of the writing did not call to me. This is a good start though.
maryusufzy's review
3.0
good book, as a Muslim woman, i could relate to so many of these! A lot of the stories made me cry but i didn't understand some of them lol I still loved the poems and everything
lochanreads's review
4.0
These are the unsung Muslim female voices that everyone needs to read and listen to! The Things I Would Tell You is a collection of short stories, poems, plays and other literary works, written from the perspective of 22 different British Muslim women, ranging from seasoned authors to up-and-coming youngsters and coming from a diverse range of backgrounds, nationalities and sexualities.
This book was challenging and unafraid, full of poignant voices that deserve way more recognition. Within its pages are literary works that expand upon themes such as identity, loss, racism, ignorance and alienation. I was very much impressed by the vast majority of this book and would encourage all to read it.
This book was challenging and unafraid, full of poignant voices that deserve way more recognition. Within its pages are literary works that expand upon themes such as identity, loss, racism, ignorance and alienation. I was very much impressed by the vast majority of this book and would encourage all to read it.