At the age of twenty-three, Ayesha removed her face veil to begin her studies in New York City.
Braiding together Western, South Asian, and Qur'anic storytelling styles, the author illuminates what it means to exist in a world that demands something different from each of her identities.
With lyrical prose and scholarly precision, she weaves her personal experiences with incisive social commentary to uncover the meaning of faith and belonging, love and betrayal, family and womanhood. In so doing, she offers us a vision of freedom that isn't measured in fabric.
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“The author explains that her parents chose a conservative Muslim lifestyle as a shield from the racism they faced. As Pakistanis, they were judged by their skin color; as Muslims, they were judged for their belief system, a persecution that actually empowered them. Chaudhry’s retelling of her youth is ambiguous, perhaps intentionally so.”
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Kirkus Reviews