A review by thebookgiraffe
Calling My Name by Liara Tamani

3.0

This was a beautifully written novel about a girl struggling to balance her religious beliefs and her feelings towards sex. The story is told in little vignettes of her adolescence as we see her exploring the realm of teenage boys (also there is on the page use of protection, and respect (albeit mixed with frustration) when she asks to stop/says no during one of the scenes). She also critiques the gendered double standard of her community's commentary, particularly that of her parents (them not treating her brother the same way, the concept of female virginity, purity pledge, etc.). Unfortunately, there was so much girl hate that was never addressed or resolved. I kept waiting for her to change the way she spoke about other young women and that point never came. She is opposed to certain words (hoe, slut) being used in regards to herself, but then goes and uses them to describe other girls throughout the book and I didn't appreciate that at all. I realize that her religious background influences her views but I was hoping for more personal growth and support for female sexuality.