About this item
Highlights
- Emma Watson's Jan/Feb 2019 pick for her feminist book club, Our Shared ShelfA Guardian UK Best Book of the YearFrom established literary heavyweights to emerging spoken word artists, the writers in this ground-breaking collection blow away the narrow image of the 'Muslim Woman'.
- About the Author: Sabrina Mahfouz is a British Egyptian playwright, poet and screenwriter.
- 256 Pages
- Literary Collections, Women Authors
Description
About the Book
A unique anthology celebrating the talent and variety of emerging and established female voices within the Muslim community in Britain.Book Synopsis
Emma Watson's Jan/Feb 2019 pick for her feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf
A Guardian UK Best Book of the Year
From established literary heavyweights to emerging spoken word artists, the writers in this ground-breaking collection blow away the narrow image of the 'Muslim Woman'.
Hear from users of Islamic Tinder, a disenchanted Maulana working as a TV chat show host and a plastic surgeon blackmailed by MI6. Follow the career of an actress with Middle-Eastern heritage whose dreams of playing a ghostbuster spiral into repeat castings as a jihadi bride. Among stories of honour killings and ill-fated love in besieged locations, we also find heart-warming connections and powerful challenges to the status quo.
From Algiers to Brighton, these stories transcend time and place revealing just how varied the search for belonging can be. Alongside renowned authors such as Kamila Shamsie, Ahdaf Soueif and Leila Aboulela are emerging voices, published here for the first time.
Sabrina Mahfouz is a British Egyptian playwright, poet and screenwriter. She was awarded the 2014 Fringe First Award for her play Chef and her play Clean transferred to New York in 2014. Her poetry has been performed and produced for TV, radio and film, including in the recent Railway Nation: A Journey in Verse on BBC2. Mahfouz has an essay in the award-winning The Good Immigrant and has published eight works of drama with Bloomsbury. She lives in London.
Review Quotes
'Bursting with insight, humour and searing honesty. Essential reading' Riz Ahmed
'The first story I read moved me to tears, the poems made me up my game and the essays were a much-needed education' Hollie McNish, Guardian Best Book of the Year 2017
'A lively, varied anthology ... Strong, impassioned voices speak out from the pages.' The Guardian
'Like The Good Immigrant, it gives a platform to people who don't find it easy to get published, showcasing the variety of work these women produce' Stylist Magazine 'Best Books of April'
'Paints a vivid and complex picture of the lives, concerns, creativity and realities of Muslim women living in the UK today ... important, and timely.' openDemocracy
'At times sensual, humorous, piercing and heartbreaking, The Things I Would Tell You is an absorbing read. It is also important, and never more relevant than now.' The Skinny
'A beautiful and haunting collection ... provides a vital but fleeting glimpse into the lives of the unheard.' For Book's Sake, 4* review
'Outstanding collection...The scope of the book is vast, depicting and voicing British Muslims' multifaceted identity.' The List, 4* review
'Earnest, warm, fiery' The National
'This exquisite collection is full of energy, experimentation, honesty, beauty, fury, heartbreak and laughs ... Defiantly multicultural' Nikesh Shukla
'Important and timely' Eimear McBride
About the Author
Sabrina Mahfouz is a British Egyptian playwright, poet and screenwriter. She was awarded the 2014 Fringe First Award for her play Chef and her play Clean transferred to New York in 2014. Her poetry has been performed and produced for TV, radio and film, including in the recent Railway Nation: A Journey in Verse on BBC2. Mahfouz has an essay in the award-winning The Good Immigrant and has published eight works of drama with Bloomsbury. She lives in London.
Contributors include: Kamila Shamsie, Ahdaf Soueif, Fadia Faqir, Leila Aboulela, Hanan al-Shaykh, Selma Dabbagh, Chiméne Suleyman, Nafeesa Hamid, Imtiaz Dharker, Shazea Quraishi, Aisha Mirza, Azra Tabassum, Triska Hamid, Asma Elbadawi, Shaista Aziz, Azra Tabassum, Aliyah Hasinah Holder, Hibaq Osman, Muneera Williams, Shireen Mula.