A review by violetturtledove
Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I've almost been stunned into silence by this book, it's been a day and I still don't know quite how to put it into words. It has opened my eyes and really made me think. I think in the LGBTQ+ community it's easy to be dismissive or distrustful of religion, as a source of intolerance or repression. And while Lamya acknowledges struggles, what comes across most in this memoir is a celebration of faith, love and community. 

I've read other queer memoirs where religious background is only a hurdle to overcome, but Lamya brings brings stories and characters from the Qur'an to life in a way that feels thoroughly relevant both to her story and to modern queer life in general. 

I feel like I've been briefly allowed into a very special, secret world (like the inside of a whale, as she puts it) and I can only hope I can take some of its love and hope back out into the world with me.