A review by serendipitysbooks
Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir by Lamya H

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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