Muslim Poetry

Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn’t feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn’t feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone.

This powerful, inspiring book tells the story of an ambitious Afghan girl who seeks to fulfill her promise to her mother, fight for the right to education, and empower girls. Zynab lives in a small village in Afghanistan where education is deemed unnecessary for girls and even frowned upon. But Zaynab's family and life are very different from those of other girls in her village. Her father is a teacher who began teaching her Rumi's poetry when she was only five. One poem, in particular, inspires and encourages her: "You were born with potential. You were born with divine energy You were ...

After spending her life fantasizing about her dream husband, Ana believes she has finally found the one when she meets Alec Coleman. He is charming, witty, and has looks to die for. The two feel an instant attraction, and it seems that Ana’s dreams have finally come true. But when Alec rekindles a relationship with his former ex-girlfriend, Ana’s perfect life soon spirals into chaos. As a convert to Islam, Ana discovers her new religion allows men to take multiple wives. She thinks nothing much of it until Alec uses force and influence to draw her into a polygamous marriage.

One’s initial impression might be a kindly, generous, encouraging, positive, wise spiritual leader offering guidance to those looking for a bit of light in the world around us. But then, to our surprise, we realize that the map he provides us in these poems takes us deep inside God, Islam, and the love of God, where we need to go. He has not only done so, but in a language that is accessible to even children.

Award-winning poet Safia Elhillo reinvents the epic to explore Muslim girlhood and shame, the dangers of being a woman, and the myriad violences enacted and imagined against women’s bodies. Drawing from her own life and family histories, as well as cultural myths and news stories about honor killings and genital mutilation, she interlaces the everyday traumas of growing up a girl under patriarchy with magical realist imaginings of rebellion, autonomy, and power.