A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. "The truth is that 9/11 never ended for us." Read it again, and think about it...
This well-written coming-of-age story of a Muslim girl in a post-9/11 world is a quick, but thought-provoiking read. Amani shares her feelings of alienation from American society, and her firsthand account of visiting her father's native homeland of Jordan. It is here, in Jordan, where she both doubts and accepts herself by finally experiencing her culture in its purest form through a lens of freedom rather than through a trivialized stereotypical one.
As a Muslim girl, Al-Khatahtbeh felt that her voice was insignificant and she founded MuslimGirl.com, a platform where Muslim girls/women would have a voice and could "talk back". This forum gives Muslim women a place to openly discuss their unique problems and interests as well as talk about the fear for their lives, Islamophobia, stereotypes, and the blaming of all Muslims for the act of a few.
This memoir is publishing at an opportune time and I highly recommend picking up a copy and making it a priority to read. Al-Khatahtbeh is is changing and challenging the way Muslim women are viewed around the world.
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