A queer hijabi Muslim immigrant survives her coming-of-age by drawing strength and hope from
stories in the Quran in this “raw and relatable memoir that challenges societal norms and
expectations” (Linah Mohammad NPR). “A masterful must-read contribution to conversations on
power justice healing and devotion from a singular voice I now trust with my whole
heart.”—Glennon Doyle #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed THEM ’S HONOREE IN
LITERATURE • AN AUDACIOUS BOOK CLUB PICK • WINNER: The Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize the
Stonewall Book Award the Israel Fishman Nonfiction Award • Lambda Literary Award Finalist
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR Autostraddle Book Riot BookPage Harper’s Bazaar Electric Lit
She Reads When fourteen-year-old Lamya H realizes she has a crush on her teacher—her female
teacher—she covers up her attraction an attraction she can’t yet name by playing up her roles
as overachiever and class clown. Born in South Asia she moved to the Middle East at a young
age and has spent years feeling out of place like her own desires and dreams don’t matter and
it’s easier to hide in plain sight. To disappear. But one day in Quran class she reads a
passage about Maryam that changes everything: When Maryam learned that she was pregnant she
insisted no man had touched her. Could Maryam uninterested in men be . . . like Lamya? From
that moment on Lamya makes sense of her struggles and triumphs by comparing her experiences
with some of the most famous stories in the Quran. She juxtaposes her coming out with Musa
liberating his people from the pharoah asks if Allah who is neither male nor female might
instead be nonbinary and drawing on the faith and hope Nuh needed to construct his ark
begins to build a life of her own—ultimately finding that the answer to her lifelong quest for
community and belonging lies in owning her identity as a queer devout Muslim immigrant. This
searingly intimate memoir in essays spanning Lamya’s childhood to her arrival in the United
States for college through early-adult life in New York City tells a universal story of
courage trust and love celebrating what it means to be a seeker and an architect of one’s
own life.
