Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age
Written by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
Narrated by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
At nine years old, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh watched from her home in New Jersey as two planes crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. That same year, she heard her first racial slur. At thirteen, her family took a trip to her father’s native homeland of Jordan, and Amani experienced firsthand a culture built on the true peaceful nature of Islam in its purest form, not the Islamic stereotypes she heard on the news.
Inspired by her trip and after years of feeling like her voice as a Muslim woman was marginalized during a time when it seemed all Western media could talk about was, ironically, Muslim women, Amani created a website called Muslim Girl. As the editor-in-chief, she put together a team of Muslim women and started a life dedicated to activism.
Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age is the extraordinary account of Amani’s journey through adolescence as a Muslim girl, from the Islamophobia she’s faced on a daily basis, to the website she launched that became a cultural phenomenon, to the nation’s political climate in 2016 as Donald Trump wins the presidency. While dispelling the myth that a headscarf signifies neither radicalism nor oppression, she shares both her own personal accounts and anecdotes from the “sisterhood” of writers that serve as her editorial team at Muslim Girl. Amani’s “blunt…potent message…is a skillful unraveling of the myth of the submissive Muslim woman” (The New York Times Book Review) and a deeply necessary counterpoint to the current rhetoric about the Middle East.
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh is the founder and editor-in-chief of MuslimGirl.com, the #1 Muslim women’s blog in the United States. She regularly provides commentary on social, cultural, and political issues on outlets like CNN, Al Jazeera, and the BBC, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and made Forbes “30 Under 30” list. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and events addressing issues pertaining to women, Islam, and the Arab world. You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter at @XOAmani and read more on MuslimGirl.com.
Related to Muslim Girl
Related audiobooks
The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit in Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Are All the Same: A Story of a Boy's Courage and a Mother's Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beneath the Tamarind Tree: A Story of Courage, Family, and the Lost Schoolgirls of Boko Haram Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Between Two Worlds: From Tyranny to Freedom My Escape from the Inner Circle of Saddam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, Inspiration, and Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An American Bride in Kabul Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Return: Why We Go Back to Where We Come From Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nujeen: One Girl's Incredible Journey from War-Torn Syria in a Wheelchair Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's Not About the Burqa Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stolen Girls: Survivors of Boko Haram Tell Their Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rebel: My Escape from Saudi Arabia to Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dear World: A Syrian Girl's Story of War and Plea for Peace Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Baghdad Clock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This Is What America Looks Like: My Journey from Refugee to Congresswoman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Muslim Problem: Why We're Wrong About Islam and Why It Matters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWe Are Not Refugees: True Stories of the Displaced Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Imam's Daughter: My Desperate Flight to Freedom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Muslim Women & The Hijab Veil: Oppression or Liberation? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Personal Memoirs For You
Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sociopath: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yes Please Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Lucy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Muslim Girl
25 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A 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.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I received a free copy of Muslim Girl from the publisher through Goodreads -- thank you!
So, this is one heck of a book to read in the context of Donald Trump being President elect, Brexit, the spike in hate crimes.
In Muslim Girl, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh explores what it means to grow up as a Muslim American in a world impacted by 9/11, war, and some truly terrifying political shifts. She speaks candidly about her experiences of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment. The result is heartbreaking, infuriating, and eye-opening.
This is also a memoir of empowerment, of the author's experiences in finding and seizing her own voice, of survival. And it is a thoughtful and compelling exploration of race and gender.
And all the way through, she points out hypocrisy in North American culture -- the way we assume that the hijab is oppressive instead of affirming Muslim women's bodily autonomy, the way we focus on race and religion when a Muslim person commits a shooting (see: Orlando) but it never becomes an issue when a white Christian opens fire.
And... I'm going to stop talking now, because frankly, you shouldn't spend any more time listening to me. This is a fantastic book. This is an incredibly relevant and timely book. Go read it.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Young author of the blog, MUSLIM GIRL, shares her journey with her life here in America. Her's is an angry voice and with good reason. She points out the injustices and discrimination she has faced only for wearing the head scarf. And she hates Trump:)
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderfully written, with lots of pithy thoughts and sharp statistics. This is blunt and engaging and you should read it and you should talk about it. I can't wait to bring it on school visits, and I'm so grateful that it reminded me that I don't know enough and I need to do a better job of finding Muslim voices to listen to, particularly in America's media. Seriously, it's a super short book and your library probably already owns it. Go read it.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This young woman describes her life in the Muslim community. Good background and details of her world, but the tone after a while seemed to be very "preachy", and I got turned off by it. Finished the book, but I wished I had stopped part way through.