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A review by mesy_mark
We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir by Samra Habib
inspiring
medium-paced
2.25
I'll start out with the positives of this book. Excellent that there is a representation of queer Muslims. The readability of this book was good, easy pace and easy voice to listen to. Always interesting to read about another queer person's life experience especially one where family ties (although strained) are still kept.
As for the negatives, the process of Samra's mother and father, devout Muslims, going from marrying her off at sixteen to being okay with two divorces, not wearing the head covering, and being openly queer needed more exploring. I would have loved to see more of that sifting point where the family put aside religious dogma and embraced their daughter for their daughter. Another point is that the discussion on her dating life heavily focuses on the cis men she has dated/married but it really glosses over the queer relationships. She was in an abusive relationship and she just talked about how her mother thought the woman was not right for her. And it's only mentioned that she also dates transgender and nonbinary people. I would have loved to see more of her exploration of relationships on the queer side compared to the cis men she dated. And lastly, the book is titled We Have Always Been Here. And her going into her photography about showcasing queer Muslims fits for the title and would have loved more of an exploration of meeting and photographing these people all over not just the one shoot she mentions.
Overall it is very impactful to have diverse stories even among minority groups. Samra has come to terms with her face and identity and is proud of who she is. An extreme strength but more areas in the book could have been explored more deeply instead of surface-level sketches.
As for the negatives, the process of Samra's mother and father, devout Muslims, going from marrying her off at sixteen to being okay with two divorces, not wearing the head covering, and being openly queer needed more exploring. I would have loved to see more of that sifting point where the family put aside religious dogma and embraced their daughter for their daughter. Another point is that the discussion on her dating life heavily focuses on the cis men she has dated/married but it really glosses over the queer relationships. She was in an abusive relationship and she just talked about how her mother thought the woman was not right for her. And it's only mentioned that she also dates transgender and nonbinary people. I would have loved to see more of her exploration of relationships on the queer side compared to the cis men she dated. And lastly, the book is titled We Have Always Been Here. And her going into her photography about showcasing queer Muslims fits for the title and would have loved more of an exploration of meeting and photographing these people all over not just the one shoot she mentions.
Overall it is very impactful to have diverse stories even among minority groups. Samra has come to terms with her face and identity and is proud of who she is. An extreme strength but more areas in the book could have been explored more deeply instead of surface-level sketches.