Leah Vernon
Published: 2019-10-15
Total Pages: 242
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A Muslim womanâs searingly honest memoir of her journey toward self-acceptance as she comes to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hopeâand chooses to live her life unapologetically Ever since she was little, Leah Vernon was told what to believe and how to act. There wasnât any room for imperfection. âGoodâ Muslim girls listened more than they spoke. They didnât have a missing father or a mother with a mental disability. They didnât have fat bodies or grow up wishing they could be like the white characters they saw on TV. They didnât have husbands who abused and cheated on them. They certainly didnât have secret abortions. In Unashamed, Vernon takes to task the myth of the perfect Muslim woman with frank dispatches on her love-hate relationship with her hijab and her faith, race, weight, mental health, domestic violence, sexuality, the millennial world of dating, and the process of finding her voice. She opens up about her tumultuous adolescence living at the poverty line with her fiercely loving but troubled mother, her absent dad, her siblings, and the violent dissolution of her 10-year marriage. Tired of the constant policing of her clothing in the name of Islam and Western beauty standards, Vernon reflects on her experiences with hustling paycheck to paycheck, body-shaming, and redefining what it means to be a âgoodâ Muslim. Irreverent, youthful, and funny, Unashamed gives anyone who is marginalized permission to live unapologetic, confident lives. âVernonâs determined advocacy for body positivity as a feminist and mental health issue, and her painful journey to self-acceptance, are moving and powerful, forcing readers to examine their own preconceptions about beauty standards and health.â âBooklist