I’m still not much in the headspace to do in-depth reviews on books. It’s all I can do to even read a book for leisure right now during COVID and while I’m also working my degree. The isn’t a massive book review but I’m at least documenting that I read it.

This library book really crept up on me. I was expecting it to be one thing and yet it was another. I don’t feel like any review I do of it will do it justice until I read it a second time and that time I need to highlight and make comments that I couldn’t do in a library book. This book needs time for me to process it.

As a devout atheist, just as the author used to be, there is almost zero information in my mind about Islam as a religion, being Muslim, and to be fair the Middle East in general. I mean, I know where it is geographically, but as a typical American that learned world history in 70s-90s I know next to nothing. Maybe I know a little but it’s minimal. Therefore, with almost each chapter I read I created more questions and more thoughts for myself that then clouded how I read the rest of the book. Sometimes I couldn’t even focus on what she was saying about Islam or an American living in the Middle East as my brain was trying to process these rules it seems that living there seems to guide for every person. The book made me angry and inquisitive at the same time but I’m coming at it from a Westerners perspective and one that typically thinks unpleasant thoughts about organized religion. the last half of the book got more political than I wanted it to be. My expectations were that it was going to be more of a social and cultural review of living there and not a political but I also see how living there gets political.

I didn’t read any reviews about the book beforehand as I didn’t want them to cloud my judgement. I had an opinion they might get political. I still haven’t read any and don’t want to until I can read this again when I have my own copy and can devote more time to it. ( )

meh.
I was hoping for a book about cultural change. there was far too much 'search for god' and 'spiritual enlightenment'. couldn't be arsed reading about spiritual awakening nonsense.
sorry. bit sad really. ( )

This was such a beautiful book. I don't have much to add to a review of this book, except to say that it was incredibly personal and as such should be read as such. Meaning that Wilson's experiences may not speak to every Muslim. I had some quibbles with how the last section of the book was put together (the first 3/4 seemed to be mostly about her conversion and her relationship with Omar and then...it wasn't. The last 1/4 seemed more like disjointed essays. Still enjoyable, but it took me out of the narrative flow a little. Maybe just personal taste), but overall this was probably one of the best books I've read in 2016. A personal, individual, moving look at how important religion can be in a person's life. Highly recommended. ( )

I'm grateful to Allegra for pointing this book out to me. It is a really wonderful memoir. The description of her travels really puts you in the place. Her struggles with love and family and Islam and culture are clearly recounted. I truly felt for her and her situation. I loved the chance to be inside her head as she worked to adapt to her new world. She shares her rocky parts and the smooth places. What a beautiful journey! A challenging read. It really makes you think, "What would I do? How would I react?" and marvel at her thoughtful decisions and choices. I wish her and Omar well. I thank her for sharing her odyssey. ( )

This is a gorgeous memoir about a young American woman converting to Islam, moving to Egypt, and getting married to an Egyptian man (and his family) - all inside a year. Wilson writes beautifully about the challenges and happiness she found in all of this chaos. It was also fascinating to see her perspective on the place of Islam in the world - she moved to Egypt in the early 2000s, where she paid little attention to the American media and was a little blindsided by the increasing vitriol it generates about Muslims and Middle Easterners. ( )