Welcome to Litsy!

I'm so glad the library had this in audio: the memoir of queer, Muslim, drag queen Glamrou (with brief detours via marine biology and Eton), it felt only right to hear their story told in their own voice. It's courageous, moving, inspiring, and dark with flashes of humour.

This is what's great about reading: 45+ years with a book in my hand and still I get to be surprised by the paths they lead me along.

This week‘s library haul! I grabbed the tagged book off their Pride display because I recognized it from my Litsy stack, while everything else was a request or an intentional shelf pick. The small, green book on the end is a collection of Proust‘s essays on books and reading.

So honest and thoughtful. We experience Amrou‘s pain yet also his enlightenment and acceptance of who he authentically is. Loved it!!!! And I really want to see his drag show now😉

A heartfelt memoir about growing up in a Muslim household as a queer non-binary person. Amrou truly loves their parents and they love them, but their culture makes their coming out really difficult for all of them. Hearing how they grow and about their self discovery is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Things that will stick with me: their love for their mother, music, and their drag family.
#getTBR
Content Warnings in spoilers⬇️

There aren't many books that manage to cover Islam, gay culture, marine biology and quantum physics, but this glorious memoir does. A brilliant, no-holds-barred account of their journey from realising they were 'different' as a child, their struggle to reconcile their sexuality and gender identity with their faith, and a heartfelt, moving recollection of their often difficult relationship with, and love for, their family.

Next up #lgbtqhistorymonth

I am running a bit behind on the #ReadAroundTheWorld challenge (in the move I have even totally misplaced April‘s book!), but my #Bahrain selection is on Audible! I don‘t know if I would‘ve picked this one up otherwise and I quite enjoyed Amrou revealing his own story from a childhood crush on an animated fox (haven‘t we all been there?) to growing up with challenging relationships to his family, his religion and even his own mind. Well-performed!

I was amazed how relatable this book was! I am always keen to read books by nonbinary authors because I seek people I can relate to, and this time I felt like there was a connection beyond gender. Even apart from that, Amrou's story is really worth reading.

Up next: this memoir I got in my #queerbookbox a few months ago. I've been following Glamrou on Instagram for a bit now and really look forward to this! #queer #nonbinary

Happy Pride!
I adored this memoir. So honest and introspective and beautiful. Deals with queerness, religion, race, culture and acceptance and I got a lot out of it. I changed my listening/reading habits because I couldn‘t stay away.