Sumayya Lee > Quotes

“Believing that the soldiers of the apartheid government really did use rubber bullets and carried batons only for decoration is seriously misguided, though understandable considering that newspapers were strictly censored, while history books abounded with Blatant Boer Bias.”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“African storms are always awesome. No shy burps of thunder and surreptitious flashes of lightning for Mama Africa.”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“With childish lucidity, I saw Gorinani as an Old Goat. Her preferred manner of communication was the scream, which she directed at all and sundry. Her daughters-in-law got a large chunk, her grandchildren a fair amount and, though the lion’s share was reserved for servants, I and any other ill-fated cousin that crossed her path at the wrong moment found ourselves on the receiving end too. The only people not at risk were her own precious, pale-skinned daughters, the Fat Cows – the mere fact that they had been born with fair flesh meant that they could do no wrong. For”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“Anyway,” she waved her arm, as though to brush aside my comment, “I don’t think you just enjoy hearing his voice!” She grinned. “So? What exactly does it do to you? Does it break your wudhu?” “Zeenat!”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“And I think I can be pretty certain that when she arrived at that last thought, she must have thought, shit, he doesn’t know my father, which means my father probably doesn’t know him, double shit. Nana”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“How can you say this when you enslave the people who’ve built this country and treat them so shamefully? How hypocritical . . . you boss people about implying that the Wahhabi way is the right way . . . only you know how to be good Muslims, and then blatantly behave in an anti-Muslim fashion . . . don’t you remember the words of the sermon during the farewell haj? About all humankind being equal?” Walid’s”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“Yet neither of them seemed fazed by this as they were living exciting adventures daily. I felt like the odd man out, provincial even, as they waxed lyrical about Nirvana and grunge, while I smouldered with barely concealed envy. Sabah”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“I take it this was a nice person, a cute guy maybe?” “How can you just assume that?” “By that dumb look on your face. I know what you’d love to do now! Moon about listening to love songs and daydream about this guy.” She finished her sentence with a thump to her steering wheel and an up-yours to the guy trying to cut into her lane. I”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“Now, don’t you act all shy and mighty with me. Part of the problem is that no one talks about sex and such things. Your Creator is not shy to talk about such matters, so why should you be? Facts of life, my dear . . . facts of life.”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“Anyone who’d borne suffering to that extent, for the majority of their adulthood and with total patience to boot, well, the next plane of existence for her was sure to be infinitely more pleasant than this one.”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“That would bring on great Waves Of Wrath followed by some sort of severe punishment, like Removal From School and the Threat Of Marriage, even at thirteen – because if a female jols, then it’s assumed that it’s sex she’s after and so marriage shall be her harness, reining her in if she can’t control herself! Adam”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“I snorted. He had got to be kidding! “Do you actually believe that you Saudis are not racist? And what about the ‘Wahhabi Way or the highway’ mentality?” I”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha

“Gorinani always had a fit if one of the Cows happened to stay out in the sun any longer than necessary. One never knew when someone would need to Act White! “You”
― Sumayya Lee, The Story of Maha