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wchereads's reviews
403 reviews
Belonging and Banishment: Being Muslim in Canada by
informative
4.0
Out of the recent books I read by Muslim authors on being Muslim in Canada, this was my favourite one, despite being the one published the earliest. "Knowing the universe in all its conditions" by Arif Babul, a physical cosmologist and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Victoria, is absolutely fascinating and made even me, someone who's always had some sort of space-phobia, appreciate the universe.
I also realize that I may have a bias towards more academic writing - majority of the writers in this collection are either professors or professionals in various fields with post-secondary education. Comparing to the writers in "The Muslimah That Fell To Earth", there is definitely a lack of diversity in terms of class / economic status. I am an ESL writer myself and yet I don't give other ESL writers enough grace. I think that this is something I have to reflect on.
I also realize that I may have a bias towards more academic writing - majority of the writers in this collection are either professors or professionals in various fields with post-secondary education. Comparing to the writers in "The Muslimah That Fell To Earth", there is definitely a lack of diversity in terms of class / economic status. I am an ESL writer myself and yet I don't give other ESL writers enough grace. I think that this is something I have to reflect on.
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza by Mosab Abu Toha
emotional
sad
5.0
genuinely do not know what to say.
Free Palestine.
Free Palestine.
Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle
4.5
This was, unexpectedly, a very fun read. I also loved the protagonist Rose and the autism rep a lot.
The Watermelon Boys by Ruqaya Izzidien
I always learned in school that "World War I lasted four years". No one ever talked about how the Brits and the French were dividing up stolen lands between them even after promising locals that they would get independence after "helping them fight off the Turks" and how the Brits were violently oppressing and bombing indigenous populations, from the city of Baghdad to Palestine, WAY past 1918. The "World War I" that consists of white on white crimes ended in 1918, perhaps. And that's all whites care about most of the time. But the violence enacted by the colonizers never ended.
The story was written in a sort of third person omniscient POV that reads as if I was listening to a friend or some storytellers. Even the most heartbreaking things were told in an unhurried and removed manner that does not hit any less hard. I am not sure if there was a specific reason to this choice of narration, but at various point I definitely felt like putting a hand up to the storyteller or friend in my imagination and telling them to please stop hurting me with words; stabbing me with a knife would hurt less.
The author wrote in the Author's Note section:
There were a number of families and characters in the story and sometimes I lost track of who's who (if you are not in the habit of taking notes on characters, I would definitely recommend doing it for this book). What connects them is, to put it simply, how they have been all oppressed and failed by the Power That Be (the Ottoman govt too but mainly the Brits) in one way or another.
This has been an eye-opening read. The video I saw recommending this book (unfortunately I can't find it anymore) said that even though the story took place in present day Iraq, what was done to Iraq was very similar to what happened to Palestine. I can only imagine how much worse it became for the Palestinians once the Zionists waltzed in en masse plus the even more violent crackdown from the Brits Mandate on the revolution in the late 1930s that caused 10% of Palestine's adult male population to be either killed, jailed or exiled.
The Brits might have fallen off but the US Empire gleefully took on the mantle. But greater Empires have fallen. We the people will not rest until all of us are free, and that include Palestine and the oppressed and colonized all over the world.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
5.0
The present is an arrogant time in which to live, always has been. Humans of the present look back at their people, land, and history, and whisper to themselves with glee, We are not them. But we were always them. We are our history; we are the crimes of our ancestors. And we wait, mouths agape, to hear tales of hope, as though good could triumph in such a world.
I always learned in school that "World War I lasted four years". No one ever talked about how the Brits and the French were dividing up stolen lands between them even after promising locals that they would get independence after "helping them fight off the Turks" and how the Brits were violently oppressing and bombing indigenous populations, from the city of Baghdad to Palestine, WAY past 1918. The "World War I" that consists of white on white crimes ended in 1918, perhaps. And that's all whites care about most of the time. But the violence enacted by the colonizers never ended.
History would tell of a war, fought honorably and equally by the civilized against the savage. The savage would be lucky if he were mentioned at all. It would skip the parts where the air forces shot at unarmed women and children, of entire villages burned in displays of power, or - worse still - it wouldn't skip it, and nobody would notice anyway.
The story was written in a sort of third person omniscient POV that reads as if I was listening to a friend or some storytellers. Even the most heartbreaking things were told in an unhurried and removed manner that does not hit any less hard. I am not sure if there was a specific reason to this choice of narration, but at various point I definitely felt like putting a hand up to the storyteller or friend in my imagination and telling them to please stop hurting me with words; stabbing me with a knife would hurt less.
The author wrote in the Author's Note section:
On a personal level, The Watermelon Boys reclaims the dominant narrative of the British Occupation of Iraq, which was largely written by the colonizer.
There were a number of families and characters in the story and sometimes I lost track of who's who (if you are not in the habit of taking notes on characters, I would definitely recommend doing it for this book). What connects them is, to put it simply, how they have been all oppressed and failed by the Power That Be (the Ottoman govt too but mainly the Brits) in one way or another.
This has been an eye-opening read. The video I saw recommending this book (unfortunately I can't find it anymore) said that even though the story took place in present day Iraq, what was done to Iraq was very similar to what happened to Palestine. I can only imagine how much worse it became for the Palestinians once the Zionists waltzed in en masse plus the even more violent crackdown from the Brits Mandate on the revolution in the late 1930s that caused 10% of Palestine's adult male population to be either killed, jailed or exiled.
The Brits might have fallen off but the US Empire gleefully took on the mantle. But greater Empires have fallen. We the people will not rest until all of us are free, and that include Palestine and the oppressed and colonized all over the world.
The Comeback by Falis Amir
The second poetry collection, published a year later, showcases both the author's growth in her craft and her person as she continues to reflect on her past ponder the way to live. A lot of the pieces read much more uplifting though there are also moments of vulnerability. Progress is and cannot possibly be linear, afterall!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
5.0
I am giving myself the freedom to no longer be consumed by people
The second poetry collection, published a year later, showcases both the author's growth in her craft and her person as she continues to reflect on her past ponder the way to live. A lot of the pieces read much more uplifting though there are also moments of vulnerability. Progress is and cannot possibly be linear, afterall!
It has always been you.
Experiencing your own love
from a source outside of you
If you would like to support a indepedent muslim writer and artist of Somali descent, check out her link here⬇️
https://linktr.ee/faliscreates
https://linktr.ee/faliscreates
Buried Deep Within by Falis Amir
I've never quite realized how personal reading someone's poems can be. Reading this collection - the author's first self-published book - was moving and humbling. I am grateful to have the priviledge to befriend the author and get a glimpse into her beautiful soul.
I am also glad I own a physical copy because I think I'd love to scribble things on the pages and fill in the blanks in the margin. It will be a fun activity to do whenever I feel like revisiting for a little pick-me-up.
If you would like to support a indepedent muslim writer and artist of Somali descent, check out her link here⬇️
https://linktr.ee/faliscreates
emotional
reflective
relaxing
5.0
Dear younger me,
I wish I would have loved you more
I've never quite realized how personal reading someone's poems can be. Reading this collection - the author's first self-published book - was moving and humbling. I am grateful to have the priviledge to befriend the author and get a glimpse into her beautiful soul.
Why is it that we put our lives
and our happiness...
on the back burner
to serve and please
I am also glad I own a physical copy because I think I'd love to scribble things on the pages and fill in the blanks in the margin. It will be a fun activity to do whenever I feel like revisiting for a little pick-me-up.
Allow yourself to break.
Allow yourself to put you back together again
If you would like to support a indepedent muslim writer and artist of Somali descent, check out her link here⬇️
https://linktr.ee/faliscreates
Let Them Eat Crypto: The Blockchain Scam That's Ruining the World by Peter Howson
informative
5.0
10/5 stars. Required reading
Gendered Islamophobia: My Journey with a Scar(f) by Monia Mazigh
Any feminism that does not acknowledge intersectionality and the most vulnerable & marginalized part of the population is white supremacy and elitism.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
3.75
This was a good read. I struggled staying engaged at times and thought that more editing could help the writing be more focused and clearer; still, i had lots of reflections myself and definitely got a lot out of it.
According to Abu-Lughod, Muslim women go through a "matrix of oppression," which includes the political, the economic, and the mundane varieties... Many women, despite their oppressive conditions, have no choice but to stay in them because of police abuse, political corruption, and economic policies that keep them poor. If we want to "save" Muslim women, we need to "save" them from the lack of opportunities dictated by their conditions.
Any feminism that does not acknowledge intersectionality and the most vulnerable & marginalized part of the population is white supremacy and elitism.
Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa
2.0
This was really, really frustrating to read and would've hit harder as a novella
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Abortion
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence
That Can Be Arranged: A Muslim Love Story by Huda Fahmy
funny
lighthearted
reflective
4.75
How cute and funny. Happy for her that her parents got her back and she never had to go through dating shitty guys that would 100% exploit her when her self-esteem was lower. Self-love is the best love. I am definitely a fan of Huda's comics now and will be reading more.