Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir

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Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H

65 reviews

ali1311's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

As a non-religious queer, this was a really good read!! To see someone interweave their radical takes on theology with their personal identity and experiences as a marginalized person...phew. It was really insightful. It made me feel like I was back in an English class in college which, loser that I am, I loved. There was so much close reading and analysis of an ancient text tied into the present/modern. I adored the way the author found such unique ways of interweaving their own life with the Quran and stories from it, not shying away from the harsh realities of religion. But these harsh realities never made the author turn away from religion, and I thought that was really refreshing. I also liked learning more about the Quran as someone who knew very little about it prior to this read. The only reason I'm not ranking this book higher was because it was a bit of a slow read despite all this, but I don't really think that's a problem; this book doesn't exist because you're eager to know exactly what happens next. I think it's more of an interrogation of identities and histories, and I didn't even really mind the slowness of it for that reason. Wouldn't be surprised if I come back to this one and rank it higher in two weeks lol

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sglance9's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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rmyd42's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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dragonlilly's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.0

This is a brave memoir about a multitude of things, addressing existence, racism, islamophobia, love and dating, family, queerness, the choice to wear hijab, the desire to fight for what is right, among smaller subtopics. I thought the comparison between the author's situations and stories from the Quran was interesting and extremely well done, and is a good example for others who are religious and use the word to connect with God and make better sense of their situation without feeling alone. It was also interesting seeing the differences between the Bible and Quran, mostly with the story of Mary/Maryam. I was unsure about the author's specific interpretations of these stories at times, mainly with the author saying Mary must not have an attraction to men at all when it was probably more so her devotion to God that overpowered any feelings she would have for the angel that appeared to her. I really did enjoy the Quran comparisons, but was also somehow expecting more from them as well as a discussion of other sections. There was however a very explicit scene of self-harm that is not performed, if I am remembering it correctly, but imagined by the author's younger self who in a way idealized death as a way to disappear. This scene happened so suddenly and I am surprised I got through some of it on the audiobook before hurriedly skipping it.

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danaslitlist's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I can't really form a coherent review about this memoir for a couple reasons, one of which is that I tend to avoid reviewing people's personal lives, the other being that I have a lot to reflect upon in terms of how Lamya has just influenced how I view religion, God, and queerness. I think for me, this memoir really hit a nerve in a good way. It addressed a lot of my own questions and concerns and feelings about growing up despite Lamya and I having very different backgrounds. I love the way that she discusses White Queerness and how so many queer spaces are not safe or inviting or actually open to everyone if you do not fit the prescribed ideal of queerness (white, cis, "attractive" and most importantly to many: loud and out about your queerness). She is critical of herself and others and real and raw about all areas of her life and it makes me respect her work even more.

I'll be thinking about this book for a long time and I think that says enough about my experience reading it.

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amina_writes_books's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.0

this books written narrative style is not at all unique from a literary point of view. There's allot of harsh transitions initially from the writers early days to present day at the start of the narrative, then this drops off entirely. The focus on the various prophets is unique, however Ill executed. And as the author "radicalizes" in her journey, her interpretations of the Quran become more and more abstract, and less and less backed by the tasfirs she supposedly has read. As someone who was raised a practicing Muslim and who is also queer, this book only highlights the abusive and oppressive nature of Islam as a whole. Very let down by this read as it had so much promise for many like me.

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serendipitysbooks's review

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emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

Hijab Butch Blues is a memoir exploring the author's identity as a person of colour, a Muslim, a Queer person, and a migrant twice over. She was born in South Asia, moved to the Middle East with her parents when she was a child, and then moved to the United States for university studies. Needless to say they often felt out-of place, as if they didn't belong. What makes this memoir unique, at least among those I've read, is the way they turned to their religion's sacred text , the Quran, and were able to find connections between their life and Quranic verses and prophets, and that they did so in a way that did not attempt to preach to nor convert the reader. Not all readers will agree with or approve of the connections made - if Maryam had not been touched by a man could she be attracted to women the way teenager Lamya was?, if Allah was neither male nor female they must be non-binary like Lamya - but I loved seeing a queer person able to reconcile their gender and sexuality with their religion, to show that such readings are possible, that being queer doesn't have to result in a person being alienated from their religious faith. A thought-provoking, reflective, and ultimately uplifting read, albeit one that didn't shy away from difficult topics.

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starduststyx's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

This was an absolutely beautiful book and I'm so grateful to have gotten to read it through libby. The way Lamya's queerness and the stories from the Quran tie together is absolutely perfectly ( and I learned sooo many stories are similar in the bible because I grew up Christian haha )

This memoir was so hopeful and just inspired me to be more kind especially towards myself. We don't all need to make ourselves indispensable.

I'm so excited to get to hear from them this May because they're doing a talk for OIT's bookclub!! And for the fiction work when it eventually comes out 💖

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puttingwingsonwords's review

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

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raysreads's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I loved this book and how it approaches finding your own place in the world and your own community and how challenging that can be. Not being religious myself, I found Lamya's experience of finding queer meaning in religious text very captivating.

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