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Temple Folk
Finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction
A “splendid and grand collection” (Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Known World) portraying the lived experiences of Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America.
In Temple Folk, Black Muslims contemplate the convictions of their race, religion, economics, politics, and sexuality in America. The ten “beautiful and vivid” (Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author) stories in this collection contribute to the bounty of diverse narratives about Black life by intimately portraying the experiences of a community that resists the mainstream culture to which they are expected to accept and aspire to while functioning within the country in which they are born.
In “Due North,” an obedient daughter struggles to understand why she’s haunted by the spirit of her recently deceased father. In “Who’s Down?” a father, after a brief affair with vegetarianism, conspires with his daughter to order him a double cheeseburger. In “Candy for Hanif” a mother’s routine trip to the store for her disabled son takes an unlikely turn when she reflects on a near-death experience. In “Woman in Niqab,” a daughter’s suspicion of her father’s infidelity prompts her to wear her hair in public. In “New Mexico,” a federal agent tasked with spying on a high-ranking member of the Nation of Islam grapples with his responsibilities closer to home.
With an unflinching eye for the contradictions between what these characters profess to believe and what they do, Temple Folk accomplishes the rare feat of presenting moral failures with compassion, nuance, and humor to remind us that while perfection is what many of us strive for, it’s the errors that make us human.
A “splendid and grand collection” (Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Known World) portraying the lived experiences of Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America.
In Temple Folk, Black Muslims contemplate the convictions of their race, religion, economics, politics, and sexuality in America. The ten “beautiful and vivid” (Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author) stories in this collection contribute to the bounty of diverse narratives about Black life by intimately portraying the experiences of a community that resists the mainstream culture to which they are expected to accept and aspire to while functioning within the country in which they are born.
In “Due North,” an obedient daughter struggles to understand why she’s haunted by the spirit of her recently deceased father. In “Who’s Down?” a father, after a brief affair with vegetarianism, conspires with his daughter to order him a double cheeseburger. In “Candy for Hanif” a mother’s routine trip to the store for her disabled son takes an unlikely turn when she reflects on a near-death experience. In “Woman in Niqab,” a daughter’s suspicion of her father’s infidelity prompts her to wear her hair in public. In “New Mexico,” a federal agent tasked with spying on a high-ranking member of the Nation of Islam grapples with his responsibilities closer to home.
With an unflinching eye for the contradictions between what these characters profess to believe and what they do, Temple Folk accomplishes the rare feat of presenting moral failures with compassion, nuance, and humor to remind us that while perfection is what many of us strive for, it’s the errors that make us human.
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First published July 4, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
July 1, 2023
This debut collection of short stories is definitely very thought provoking. I don’t think I have ever read anything that was centered on Black Muslim life like this was and it was very interesting. I won’t say there weren’t points that were challenging for me because of course there were, but I like to read about other cultures and perspectives. One thing I really appreciated about this collection is that the various stories did feel like unique stories. I felt a couple of them ended at a place leaving me wanting more, but stories like that stick with you and make you think so they definitely have their place. I think my favorite story was Woman in Niqab. The writing was well done and the stories were well told. I definitely will be looking for future works by Aaliyah Bilal.
November 20, 2023
I found this short story collection an interesting foray into the lives of Black Muslim Americans. The stories involve protagonists who wrestle with people’s political beliefs and the enactment (or lack thereof) of those beliefs in daily life, with people whose tragic home lives pushed them toward polarizing religious views, and with difficult family members. While I liked that these stories portrayed perspectives often erased or unseen, I thought the stories themselves were often lacking. I wanted more well-defined characters and story arcs that came to a climax or a noticeable resolution. Still, you may want to check it out if the synopsis interests you.
June 21, 2023
The publicity for Aaliyah Bilal's Temple Folk hooked me right away: "A groundbreaking debut collection portraying the lived experiences of Black Muslims grappling with faith, family, and freedom in America." I'd never seen a book of stories focused on the Nation of Islam, though I've encountered some discussion of NOI in my reading, particularly in the autobiography and other biographies of Malcolm X. X became engaged with NOI while in prison, and it played a significant and empowering role in his life while he was incarcerated and afterwards. Near the end of his life—and, importantly, after completing the hajj—X began questioning some of the precepts unique to NOI, particularly those regarding racial-ethno identity.
Temple Folk is deeply contextualized within NOI, so readers may want to do some exploration of the faith's precepts and history before beginning Bilal's collection of stories. Unless you're familiar with NOI you're apt to find yourself confused at points, but this is no reason to avoid Temple Folk. As is the case any time one enters a new cultural milieu, you'll need to do a lot of inferring and will have to accept that you may not grasp the stories' significance as completely as those who are part of the culture.
Bilal's stories examine the different ways NOI has shaped believers and former believers' lives. She often focuses in on inconsistency (in some cases hypocrisy) in her character's religious beliefs and practices. One thing her characters have in common is a strong ethical sense. These are individuals who take living within a faith and decision-making about right and wrong with deep seriousness, so small inconsistencies can be particularly informative.
Temple Folk makes for reading that is informative, challenging, and valuable. Bilal's book provides a promising start—both in terms of her own growth as a writer and in terms of the development of fiction set within a NOI context. We need more such writing—and also need to see where Bilal will take us as she continues writing. Temple Folk marks a starting point that has the potential to lead to any number of vistas.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title fro the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
Temple Folk is deeply contextualized within NOI, so readers may want to do some exploration of the faith's precepts and history before beginning Bilal's collection of stories. Unless you're familiar with NOI you're apt to find yourself confused at points, but this is no reason to avoid Temple Folk. As is the case any time one enters a new cultural milieu, you'll need to do a lot of inferring and will have to accept that you may not grasp the stories' significance as completely as those who are part of the culture.
Bilal's stories examine the different ways NOI has shaped believers and former believers' lives. She often focuses in on inconsistency (in some cases hypocrisy) in her character's religious beliefs and practices. One thing her characters have in common is a strong ethical sense. These are individuals who take living within a faith and decision-making about right and wrong with deep seriousness, so small inconsistencies can be particularly informative.
Temple Folk makes for reading that is informative, challenging, and valuable. Bilal's book provides a promising start—both in terms of her own growth as a writer and in terms of the development of fiction set within a NOI context. We need more such writing—and also need to see where Bilal will take us as she continues writing. Temple Folk marks a starting point that has the potential to lead to any number of vistas.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title fro the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.
April 5, 2023
aaliyah bilal’s literary debut is a collection of black muslim short stories.
i am so torn about writing this review of “temple folk.” while i found most of the stories very thoughtful and insightful of the black muslim experience, i just really felt that i was out of the loop or missing something. some of the characters are very extreme and the end of the story left me asking “what just happened?” i think these stories are very important, very well written, and very meaningful, just not for me.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
i am so torn about writing this review of “temple folk.” while i found most of the stories very thoughtful and insightful of the black muslim experience, i just really felt that i was out of the loop or missing something. some of the characters are very extreme and the end of the story left me asking “what just happened?” i think these stories are very important, very well written, and very meaningful, just not for me.
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 7, 2024
As far as short stories go, these were poignant and relatable in enough ways that it was easy to find empathy for almost every character.
August 6, 2024
In Temple Folk, the author presents a compelling collection of ten short stories that delve into the lives of Black Muslim Americans who follow the Nation of Islam. These stories offer a glimpse into perspectives often overlooked in literature and also mainstream Muslim narratives. Each story is thoughtfully crafted, featuring characters from across various decades, genders, ages, and levels of faith. We follow these characters as they grapple with political beliefs, complicated family dynamics, and varying degrees of religiosity.
While the collection is rich in content and provides valuable explorations of faith and identity, the storytelling sometimes falls short. Many of the characters are portrayed in extremes, resulting in narratives that can feel abrupt and often left me wanting more to the story or a more concrete resolution. The stories often felt like they blurred the lines between chapters of a literary fiction volume and standalone pieces, making it difficult for them to achieve the impactful story arcs and conclusions typically expected in short stories.
Despite these issues, I found this collection to be a significant work for its insightful portrayal of the Black Muslim experience. It challenges readers to dive deeper into the complexities of faith and identity, even if it sometimes leaves them feeling out of the loop with a lack of context about Nation of Islam beliefs. If the synopsis intrigues you, this collection is worth exploring for its unique perspectives and thoughtful storytelling. Furthermore, Aaliyah Bilal’s writing style was quite captivating and there were a few stories that really stood out to me such as: "Candy for Hanif", "Woman in Niqab", "Who’s Down?", and "Nikkah". These stories showcased Bilal's brilliance in short story telling and left me looking forward to what she will publish next as her talent is further developed.
While the collection is rich in content and provides valuable explorations of faith and identity, the storytelling sometimes falls short. Many of the characters are portrayed in extremes, resulting in narratives that can feel abrupt and often left me wanting more to the story or a more concrete resolution. The stories often felt like they blurred the lines between chapters of a literary fiction volume and standalone pieces, making it difficult for them to achieve the impactful story arcs and conclusions typically expected in short stories.
Despite these issues, I found this collection to be a significant work for its insightful portrayal of the Black Muslim experience. It challenges readers to dive deeper into the complexities of faith and identity, even if it sometimes leaves them feeling out of the loop with a lack of context about Nation of Islam beliefs. If the synopsis intrigues you, this collection is worth exploring for its unique perspectives and thoughtful storytelling. Furthermore, Aaliyah Bilal’s writing style was quite captivating and there were a few stories that really stood out to me such as: "Candy for Hanif", "Woman in Niqab", "Who’s Down?", and "Nikkah". These stories showcased Bilal's brilliance in short story telling and left me looking forward to what she will publish next as her talent is further developed.
March 10, 2023
i feel torn about temple folk. i really liked bilal's examination of the gap between her characters' perceived and performed religiosities, contradictions lived by both the presently and formerly faithful. stories like "woman in niqab," "janaza," and "blue" did this particularly well IMO.
but some of these stories portray characters who are a bit... rigid? for my liking. these characters think and act in extremes, which resulted in stories that end with a swerve, careening the reader into "wait, what????" territory as their eyes tumble from the last word into a vast blank space. maybe i was hoping for a bit more narratorial padding to help me better understand what the author makes of such characters.
it is also worth noting that temple folk is bilal's first published collection, as well as, to the best of my knowledge, one of the first fiction books out there featuring Black folks of the nation of islam. i learned a lot about the nation's history by googling the author's many allusions to its key figures and tenets, and i'm grateful to have had this exposure.
even though temple folk wasn't my favorite, i hope it does well on its publication day. (relatedly, thank you to the neighbor who left the galley copy that i found in a little free library near me!) i look forward to seeing what bilal writes in the future.
but some of these stories portray characters who are a bit... rigid? for my liking. these characters think and act in extremes, which resulted in stories that end with a swerve, careening the reader into "wait, what????" territory as their eyes tumble from the last word into a vast blank space. maybe i was hoping for a bit more narratorial padding to help me better understand what the author makes of such characters.
it is also worth noting that temple folk is bilal's first published collection, as well as, to the best of my knowledge, one of the first fiction books out there featuring Black folks of the nation of islam. i learned a lot about the nation's history by googling the author's many allusions to its key figures and tenets, and i'm grateful to have had this exposure.
even though temple folk wasn't my favorite, i hope it does well on its publication day. (relatedly, thank you to the neighbor who left the galley copy that i found in a little free library near me!) i look forward to seeing what bilal writes in the future.
December 12, 2022
Each and every one of us deal with certain contradictions in our life, and this collection of stories examines and exposes these contradictions among “Temple” folk. The struggles around faith, sexuality, ethical and moral relations are features in these ten stories. We get a peak into-I believe for the first time in fiction-the machinations of Elijah Muhammad’s NOI, although he is never mentioned by name. Some stories end abruptly, leaving the reader wanting. There is much to like and learn through these explorations of regular people trying to navigate through life while maintaining fidelity to their faith and to their true selves. And sometimes that alignment is not fine. Two standout stories for me were BLUE and WOMAN IN NIQAB. Both explore the disappointment one contends with when they discover hypocrisies in loved ones. A very interesting undertaking by Aaliyah Bilal, and her prose sings the song of lived experience. A strong debut by all considerations.
July 29, 2023
Although the subject matter for Aaliyah Bilal’s stories makes for immediate intrigue with her exploring characters and events around the Nation of Islam, the structure of her narratives and the quality of her writing are less impressive. The stories often felt abrupt and incomplete as if they were yearning to convey something that the author was not quite sure how to convey. Some of her sentences come off awkward, and the narrative flow does not always reach a fluidity that enables absorption in the content or total engagement with the characters. Temple Folk is an admirable debut collection of stories, but the uncertainty and tentativeness in Bilal’s style made the collection less impactful than it could have been.
October 6, 2023
I do appreciate a short story collection in which the stories all form a cohesive and meaningful whole, yet are still completely distinct and substantive entities on their own.
I quite enjoyed and appreciated this collection, and think it is a vital one for people of all backgrounds to read. The lives of Bilal's Black Muslim characters are fully and quite poignantly rendered, and she managed to honor pain and turmoil without it ever feeling gratuitous or like their suffering was being put on display. We get many different viewpoints as well into various aspects of the characters' lives within and outside their temple and their faith, and I appreciated learning a little more about all of it. As a Jewish woman whose faith is very important to me, I always like seeing how faith of any type impacts people's lives, especially when wrestling with complex and confusing aspects of it.
Out of the 10 stories in this collection, I'd say my favorites were Candy For Hanif, Woman in Niqab, and Due North. Most of the others were also strong, although I did think a few could have been fleshed out a bit more, and there were times where the endings felt a bit abrupt and I would've liked a little further exploration.
Overall a very strong collection and I am looking forward to more from this author.
I quite enjoyed and appreciated this collection, and think it is a vital one for people of all backgrounds to read. The lives of Bilal's Black Muslim characters are fully and quite poignantly rendered, and she managed to honor pain and turmoil without it ever feeling gratuitous or like their suffering was being put on display. We get many different viewpoints as well into various aspects of the characters' lives within and outside their temple and their faith, and I appreciated learning a little more about all of it. As a Jewish woman whose faith is very important to me, I always like seeing how faith of any type impacts people's lives, especially when wrestling with complex and confusing aspects of it.
Out of the 10 stories in this collection, I'd say my favorites were Candy For Hanif, Woman in Niqab, and Due North. Most of the others were also strong, although I did think a few could have been fleshed out a bit more, and there were times where the endings felt a bit abrupt and I would've liked a little further exploration.
Overall a very strong collection and I am looking forward to more from this author.
October 23, 2023
Incredible!!! I need to reread the novella in light of the final plot twist (!!), and collect my thoughts. Might be a five-star review when all is said and done.
September 28, 2023
I don't read many short stories because I feel like the moment I get invested into a story, it ends. I don't even remember the last time i read a contemporary short story collection so when I stumbled upon this one I thought I should listen to it.
And it was a great reading experience. Deep, interesting, complex, sad but hopeful and all of the narrators were a pleasure to listen to.
As a white atheist woman living in central Europe, I didn't understand some of the religious refferals in some of the stories but I did my research to try to understand better.
I definitely recommend the audio version.
And it was a great reading experience. Deep, interesting, complex, sad but hopeful and all of the narrators were a pleasure to listen to.
As a white atheist woman living in central Europe, I didn't understand some of the religious refferals in some of the stories but I did my research to try to understand better.
I definitely recommend the audio version.
March 20, 2024
It's a huge, yet perfect, coincidence that I began reading Temple Folk on the first day of Ramadan. Lately, I've been leaning towards fiction that leaves me with a new perspective, increases my emotional intelligence, or teaches me something new about culture or the way of the world.
I added Temple Folk to my #BHM2024* reading list because the title drew me in, highlighting that despite all I've read over the years, I'd never encountered stories centering Black American Muslims. As someone culturally Christian, I had only heard of the "church folk" expression and had no idea that "temple folk" was a thing. It was time to rectify that, and I'm glad I did.
This collection reminds me of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies in that it's not religious fiction but literary fiction centering people who participate in or are strongly influenced or affected by religion.
Aaliyah Bilal is a great writer who masters the subtle but impactful way religion affects members of the Nation of Islam, former members embracing traditional Islam, former Christians embracing Islam, or members leaving the faith altogether.
There is a theme of freedom within these stories that resonated with me. I was especially moved by the stories featuring people coming of age in devout households who are stunned by hypocrisy, scandal, or the dissolution of the fantasies or myths upon which many faith practices are built (usually constructed by parents to get their children to follow their lead).
And then there's the very small, but significant realization that we usually come to when we venture into the unknown: outside of our faith, many of us are pretty much the same, just trying to make a way through life by holding onto the rules and rituals we've been taught (and hope to be true) will make us feel worthy in the end. This is what I felt most while reading this collection.
Extra points go to Bilal for the order of the stories in this collection. This might be the first time I've read a collection in which each story is better than the last.
I usually steer clear of short story collections because they're not as satisfying as novels, and also because the quality of the stories can sometimes vary. That was not the case with Temple Folk. I looked forward to a new story every day.
*This was on my reading list for the third week of Black History Month, but February was rough for me and I barely read one book, let alone my entire list. I continued with my reading list in March, hence starting this on the first day of Ramadan, not realizing it until day 2.
I added Temple Folk to my #BHM2024* reading list because the title drew me in, highlighting that despite all I've read over the years, I'd never encountered stories centering Black American Muslims. As someone culturally Christian, I had only heard of the "church folk" expression and had no idea that "temple folk" was a thing. It was time to rectify that, and I'm glad I did.
This collection reminds me of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies in that it's not religious fiction but literary fiction centering people who participate in or are strongly influenced or affected by religion.
Aaliyah Bilal is a great writer who masters the subtle but impactful way religion affects members of the Nation of Islam, former members embracing traditional Islam, former Christians embracing Islam, or members leaving the faith altogether.
There is a theme of freedom within these stories that resonated with me. I was especially moved by the stories featuring people coming of age in devout households who are stunned by hypocrisy, scandal, or the dissolution of the fantasies or myths upon which many faith practices are built (usually constructed by parents to get their children to follow their lead).
And then there's the very small, but significant realization that we usually come to when we venture into the unknown: outside of our faith, many of us are pretty much the same, just trying to make a way through life by holding onto the rules and rituals we've been taught (and hope to be true) will make us feel worthy in the end. This is what I felt most while reading this collection.
Extra points go to Bilal for the order of the stories in this collection. This might be the first time I've read a collection in which each story is better than the last.
I usually steer clear of short story collections because they're not as satisfying as novels, and also because the quality of the stories can sometimes vary. That was not the case with Temple Folk. I looked forward to a new story every day.
*This was on my reading list for the third week of Black History Month, but February was rough for me and I barely read one book, let alone my entire list. I continued with my reading list in March, hence starting this on the first day of Ramadan, not realizing it until day 2.
May 21, 2023
I received an ARC copy. This is a beautiful book. The characters are well drawn and complex. The writing is understated. The author doesn’t spell it out for you. You will engage, reflect, and, depending on your own lived experience, learn. Read this book. It took me a bit to warm into it, but, the final story, is a masterpiece. The time setting of the stories is in chronological order, so I suggest reading the collection as written. The reward of the last story in the is SO worth it.
July 29, 2023
Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal honors the Black American community within the Nation of Islam in a way that I have never seen reflected in literature before. While this is her debut , this collection of ten short stories demonstrates a mastery of understanding the human condition and the inner life of Black folks who have chosen to practice faith as a means of survival.
It is rare that I read a collection of short stories and can easily transition from one narrative to another. For me, as a reader, this speaks to how rich the storytelling is in this collection and the common threads that are woven throughout these very different and yet soul mirroring stories.
Candy for Hanif brought tears to my eyes because it is a story that I do not often see reflected on the page, particularly in a religious setting where so many families raising individuals with special needs find connection and community. This story was told with such deep compassion and Bilal manages to show the impact the mosque had on this family unit. Candy for Hanif shows how when we've been doing it alone for so long it's not until helping hands are extended that we can begin to receive the help we need.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read!
It is rare that I read a collection of short stories and can easily transition from one narrative to another. For me, as a reader, this speaks to how rich the storytelling is in this collection and the common threads that are woven throughout these very different and yet soul mirroring stories.
Candy for Hanif brought tears to my eyes because it is a story that I do not often see reflected on the page, particularly in a religious setting where so many families raising individuals with special needs find connection and community. This story was told with such deep compassion and Bilal manages to show the impact the mosque had on this family unit. Candy for Hanif shows how when we've been doing it alone for so long it's not until helping hands are extended that we can begin to receive the help we need.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read!
November 15, 2023
3.5 stars rounding up for this finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for fiction. I enjoyed learning about the Nation of Islam and seeing how the characters in these stories grapple with the demands of their religion, but the stories’ conclusions often left me scratching my head.
December 18, 2024
i love short story series but this was eh, i didn't feel like i really got to know the people in the stories and often found myself confused about the story lines
October 24, 2023
Listened to the audiobook since this was nominated for the National Book Award, and I have some really mixed feelings about this one! For one I think that it was massively mismarketed, which isn’t really the authors fault but is the fault of the publisher. I had expected a short story collection on black Muslim life in America, but instead got a short story collection on the Nation of Islam which is not actually Islam and (allegedly) a cult. All of the perspectives in this collection are from people either in NOI or previously from NOI which I found pretty frustrating as there was a lack of diversity in religious thought among the short stories. My grievance with the marketing aside, there are some short stories in there that are really stellar, and some that I found to be pretty forgettable. I don’t like to judge short story collections as one complete thing so here is my thoughts and synopsis on each story:
1) Blue- A woman reflects on the similarities between her and a young girl she meets on a bus ride to Chicago. I generally liked this one, I thought the split narrative between the present and the past gave context to why this character joined NOI and what it meant to her. It grapples issues like colorism and generational conflicts, along with political issues from the time setting (the Khmer Rouge for instance). I think the ending was a bit too abrupt and that plus the length did not make it necessarily a good opener to the collection. Worth reading this one though.
2) New Mexico- An FBI agent is hired to spy on the First Lady of the NOI while his personal life is in turmoil. Format wise, this was the most experimental being written in short numbered sections which are the protagonists diegetic reports. I really wish there was more play with format in the collection because this was pretty much the only entry that wasn’t just a standard short story layout. Regardless, I found the central thesis to be a little bit pro FBI but not obnoxiously so. I thought the contrast between what the First Lady says she believes (black nationalism) and what she practices (trying to pass as white) to be a great theme. This was also a standout choice.
3) The Spider- A man who split off from NOI meets an old frenemy who has just rejoined into the NOI. This one was pretty forgettable, it didn’t manage to have nearly as much depth as some others while still managing to be pretty slowly paced. I enjoyed the different social dynamics between the temple men and would have loved to see more of that.
4) Candy for Hanif. A woman cares for her mentally disabled son and helps out at the temple kitchen which is grieving the loss of the kitchens matriarch. This seems to be a favorite of many people and I found it interesting enough but there are a lot of characters which in such a short plot I found difficult to track. It’s also hard for me to talk about this one without spoilers but there’s an interesting character study going on about how a person gets to a point of doing a pretty awful thing, as much as I found her frustrating I haven’t read a short story that goes over a choice like she made before really.
5) Janaza- A man comes home for the first time in a long while for a funeral and reflects on the traumatic reason why he left. This was also one of the more forgettable ones, there’s some interesting themes of respectability politics, the ethics of corporal punishment, class dynamics but in general I found it to be a little flat. My perspective could also be affected because the prose in this one jumped between time in a way that was difficult to follow in audiobook form.
6) Woman in Niqab- After a trip to Egypt, a teen girl stops wearing head coverings as a rebellion against her father’s infidelity. While relatively short, this one was great. I enjoyed the protagonists youthful narrative voice (both in terms of the audiobook and the actual prose) and found the differences between Egyptian Islamic culture and American Islamic culture to be pretty interesting.
7) Who’s Down- A vegetarian dad has a disagreement of ideology at his favorite restaurant. While I found this one to be just a little bit too short I still enjoyed it and found it thoroughly engaging. It’s set via the narration of the daughter which I thought was a great choice because rather that hearing an exposition of the dad’s politics we instead see his politics through the sarcastic lens of his child. There’s a bit where he gets into an argument with a man from the Black Israelites and later vents his frustration at that group being a cult, and I think there’s supposed to be irony in that with him being a part of NOI, but if there is it was not explicit enough for me to be sure.
8) Nikkah- A woman who converted to Islam from Christianity in college deals with online dating and the changes to her friend as the latter prepares for her wedding. The pacing in this one was a little scatterbrained, there’s a LOT going on and I think it might have worked better in a novella format rather than short story, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s some interesting discussion about Eastern Europe vs America and topics on American excess and while I don’t agree with all points made I found it well written.
9) Sister Rose- After leaving her faith 20 years ago, a woman comes back home to visit a mentor figure of her childhood. This one was just okay. I found it thematically to be incredibly similar to Janaza and honestly would have loved to see more development or exploration to the theme but I felt that it was just a repeat of what I had read earlier. I did relate to the fraught relationships between religious young women, but found the story too short to have really explored that with any depth.
10) Due North- A woman is being haunted by her recently deceased father and his past. Easily my favorite in the collection, I don’t know what else to say besides that I could have read hundreds of pages of this. I loved the flawed but entirely human protagonist the relationship between her and her brother, the dynamics of Christianity vs Islam, the relationship between her and her father, the exploration of sexual orientation, all of it. It was so good if made me reconsider my frustration with the entire collection. Man, what a story.
1) Blue- A woman reflects on the similarities between her and a young girl she meets on a bus ride to Chicago. I generally liked this one, I thought the split narrative between the present and the past gave context to why this character joined NOI and what it meant to her. It grapples issues like colorism and generational conflicts, along with political issues from the time setting (the Khmer Rouge for instance). I think the ending was a bit too abrupt and that plus the length did not make it necessarily a good opener to the collection. Worth reading this one though.
2) New Mexico- An FBI agent is hired to spy on the First Lady of the NOI while his personal life is in turmoil. Format wise, this was the most experimental being written in short numbered sections which are the protagonists diegetic reports. I really wish there was more play with format in the collection because this was pretty much the only entry that wasn’t just a standard short story layout. Regardless, I found the central thesis to be a little bit pro FBI but not obnoxiously so. I thought the contrast between what the First Lady says she believes (black nationalism) and what she practices (trying to pass as white) to be a great theme. This was also a standout choice.
3) The Spider- A man who split off from NOI meets an old frenemy who has just rejoined into the NOI. This one was pretty forgettable, it didn’t manage to have nearly as much depth as some others while still managing to be pretty slowly paced. I enjoyed the different social dynamics between the temple men and would have loved to see more of that.
4) Candy for Hanif. A woman cares for her mentally disabled son and helps out at the temple kitchen which is grieving the loss of the kitchens matriarch. This seems to be a favorite of many people and I found it interesting enough but there are a lot of characters which in such a short plot I found difficult to track. It’s also hard for me to talk about this one without spoilers but there’s an interesting character study going on about how a person gets to a point of doing a pretty awful thing, as much as I found her frustrating I haven’t read a short story that goes over a choice like she made before really.
5) Janaza- A man comes home for the first time in a long while for a funeral and reflects on the traumatic reason why he left. This was also one of the more forgettable ones, there’s some interesting themes of respectability politics, the ethics of corporal punishment, class dynamics but in general I found it to be a little flat. My perspective could also be affected because the prose in this one jumped between time in a way that was difficult to follow in audiobook form.
6) Woman in Niqab- After a trip to Egypt, a teen girl stops wearing head coverings as a rebellion against her father’s infidelity. While relatively short, this one was great. I enjoyed the protagonists youthful narrative voice (both in terms of the audiobook and the actual prose) and found the differences between Egyptian Islamic culture and American Islamic culture to be pretty interesting.
7) Who’s Down- A vegetarian dad has a disagreement of ideology at his favorite restaurant. While I found this one to be just a little bit too short I still enjoyed it and found it thoroughly engaging. It’s set via the narration of the daughter which I thought was a great choice because rather that hearing an exposition of the dad’s politics we instead see his politics through the sarcastic lens of his child. There’s a bit where he gets into an argument with a man from the Black Israelites and later vents his frustration at that group being a cult, and I think there’s supposed to be irony in that with him being a part of NOI, but if there is it was not explicit enough for me to be sure.
8) Nikkah- A woman who converted to Islam from Christianity in college deals with online dating and the changes to her friend as the latter prepares for her wedding. The pacing in this one was a little scatterbrained, there’s a LOT going on and I think it might have worked better in a novella format rather than short story, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s some interesting discussion about Eastern Europe vs America and topics on American excess and while I don’t agree with all points made I found it well written.
9) Sister Rose- After leaving her faith 20 years ago, a woman comes back home to visit a mentor figure of her childhood. This one was just okay. I found it thematically to be incredibly similar to Janaza and honestly would have loved to see more development or exploration to the theme but I felt that it was just a repeat of what I had read earlier. I did relate to the fraught relationships between religious young women, but found the story too short to have really explored that with any depth.
10) Due North- A woman is being haunted by her recently deceased father and his past. Easily my favorite in the collection, I don’t know what else to say besides that I could have read hundreds of pages of this. I loved the flawed but entirely human protagonist the relationship between her and her brother, the dynamics of Christianity vs Islam, the relationship between her and her father, the exploration of sexual orientation, all of it. It was so good if made me reconsider my frustration with the entire collection. Man, what a story.
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July 30, 2024The narrators of the audiobook give us a true to life performance of each character's development. Also, this novel's themes and connections materialize more in the audio format. Keep your ears and eyes ready for this absorbing collection; if you're not ready to commit to reading a full length book by a new-to-you author, this is a good place to cite if you yearn for exposure to personal stories of faith and growth in one's own life.
Audiobook version you can find here: Temple Folk - Audiobook
These ten thoughtfully written short stories feature characters from the Nation of Islam, and encompass different decades, genders, ages, and levels of faith. Every story makes a genuine attempt to explore the theme of seeking out faith and questioning it too, something we just never hear about in pop culture fiction.
Those who belong to the Nation of Islam know their experience is mirrored here, and readers of other faiths will gain dimension and depth. Bilal's fictional skill is notable; she had me completely drawn into each protagonist.
The stories are rich but I kept waiting for one to finish with the kind of closure or punctuation that short-stories-events almost always carry. Each story reads near enough to a chapter of a lit-fiction volume, and this makes it harder for them to have the desired effect amounts of impact. The storytelling here is strong and both author and genre demand you dive deeper.
I think that had these been audio performances it would have helped bring about the more revealing narratives. While each story stands alone, naturally some of these characters are connected by faith, mood, locale, and the passage of time.
Audiobook version you can find here: Temple Folk - Audiobook
These ten thoughtfully written short stories feature characters from the Nation of Islam, and encompass different decades, genders, ages, and levels of faith. Every story makes a genuine attempt to explore the theme of seeking out faith and questioning it too, something we just never hear about in pop culture fiction.
Those who belong to the Nation of Islam know their experience is mirrored here, and readers of other faiths will gain dimension and depth. Bilal's fictional skill is notable; she had me completely drawn into each protagonist.
The stories are rich but I kept waiting for one to finish with the kind of closure or punctuation that short-stories-events almost always carry. Each story reads near enough to a chapter of a lit-fiction volume, and this makes it harder for them to have the desired effect amounts of impact. The storytelling here is strong and both author and genre demand you dive deeper.
I think that had these been audio performances it would have helped bring about the more revealing narratives. While each story stands alone, naturally some of these characters are connected by faith, mood, locale, and the passage of time.
October 18, 2023
The stories are fascinating mostly for the inside view they give of the “temple folk” themselves and the beliefs and practices of the Nation of Islam over its history, and also its appeal to Black Americans. As is typical in a collection, not all of the stories are of equal merit, but the quality of the writing is high. This is definitely worth checking out.
October 19, 2023
i’m unsure if this noun is appropriate, but it was a slow burner. Woman In Niqab through Due North, the closing story, were, by far, the stars of this collection.
January 29, 2024
I know virtually nothing about the Nation of Islam except some of the headline-making stuff (eg, Malcolm X), so welcomed the illumination found in this National Book Award finalist, a debut story collection about ordinary American Black Muslims trying to live within their faith. The writing is very fine, and the stories generally feature some kind of conflict between the strictures of the faith and the less-than-devout American culture, or a personal crisis of faith or some such. Engaging and interesting.
May 21, 2024
I’ve never read a book like this before - short stories of the lives of different people living within a religion - The Nation of Islam. I don’t think I realized until reading up on the Nation that it is a specific sect of Islam, quite a bit different from the Middle Eastern and Northern African world of Islam that is usually brought to mind. I definitely still have a lot to work through in how I view religions as a whole, but I did appreciate how the Bilal focused on many different perspectives within the titular group. The writing is eloquent, weaving seamlessly present day activities with thoughts or memories of the past. In almost all the stories though, I felt the characters and the stories themselves were lacking in substance. The novella-length “Due North” was certainly an exception to that.
December 20, 2025
What a lovely collection of short stories! I really enjoyed getting to know this community of people, all trying and often failing and then trying again to live their values and find meaning in their faith and family members. As others have noted, the Nation of Islam has rarely appeared in literature, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about what brought people to the Nation and what sustained many of them and brought them support and purpose. Bilal also brings a moving and tender perspective to the characters here who have to separate from their families because they can't thrive under the constraints of a religion that, like many observant religious groups, demands a stringent purity test of its adherents.
Overall a well-written book that also had me looking things up and reading more about the Nation as I went through the stories.
Overall a well-written book that also had me looking things up and reading more about the Nation as I went through the stories.
July 23, 2025
I really love reading short story collections and I can't believe this is the author's first one.
The stories that stood out to me were Nikkah and Due North. It's so interesting to read about the different ways Muslim American communities exist and I want to learn more about the Black Muslim communities that have existed for decades. Such a great read. It is potent but not a such a difficult read that I have to put the book down because its emotionally draining or painful.
The stories that stood out to me were Nikkah and Due North. It's so interesting to read about the different ways Muslim American communities exist and I want to learn more about the Black Muslim communities that have existed for decades. Such a great read. It is potent but not a such a difficult read that I have to put the book down because its emotionally draining or painful.
October 14, 2023
3.5 stars
February 11, 2025
structurally and narratively a little weaker, but overall an engaging insight into the Black American Muslim experience, especially in and around the NOI. lots I didn't know and was really intrigued to learn!
March 18, 2024
I'm torn on this one because I love the exploration of religious performativity vs. actual belief and learned a lot about the Nation of Islam, but the writing makes me feel like I'm missing something--there's an incompleteness about the way Aaliyah Bilal writes her characters and settings, and the attempts at shifts in perspective don't always work. Regardless, I enjoyed reading this; the standout stories for me are "Woman in Niqab" and "Due North."
September 21, 2024
I’ve decided to write individual reviews for each story so I can remember them better and learn about the art of short story writing.
Blue 3.5/5
This was interesting because it shows the trauma that we hand down through generations, making the ending really poignant. I was intrigued by the use of flashbacks in this story and how they melded to the present by the end.
New Mexico 3/5
This one had a few elements to pull together, but it was interesting. A perspective from a black agent in the fbi or whatever surveillance, recking with his own role as a black man watching other black men. It really shows how everyone is complicit, and the perfect example of that is his father.
The Spider 4/5
This one was good, giving glimpses into the historical context of the movement that I have been trying to pin to. I like how confusing it is to an outsider, but we get these tiny peeks, the windows of why the culture operates the way it does.
Candy for Hannif 5/5
This one was amazing. You really get to know the interiority of the narrator, her grief, the barrenness of her life that leads her to make really fast crazy decisions at the end of the story. Plus the description of the sleazy river cruise reminds me of my own cruise experience last year!
Janaza 2/5
Yeah this one fell flat. It’s an opportunity for reflection for different people who left the faith and had totally different experiences. It reminds you why people come back, and if the coming back itself is another form of rebellion.
Woman in Niqab 5/5
Yesss we love a wholesome mother/daughter story! The travel, the adolescent rebellion, the fucking off of the traditions that hold us back. Loved it all.
Who’s Down 4/5
Short and sweet this one hit a little close to home with the Palestine and Israel conflict. It was good, though.
Nikkah 5/5
Ugh this one was so good and heartbreaking. It’s so true how often new converts becoming more fundamental, running away from the hurt in their past that has led them into the arms of their new faith. And you lose so many important relationships along the way.
Sister Rose 3/5
This one didn’t stand out to me in a big way. It felt dreary and sad and a little nostalgic but it didn’t strike.
Due North 3/5
This one was conflicting for me. I resonated with so much of it—the desire to be accepted by just becoming who someone else wants you to be. But it was really long and I kept getting distracted. It might have felt the least compelling to hey through.
Blue 3.5/5
This was interesting because it shows the trauma that we hand down through generations, making the ending really poignant. I was intrigued by the use of flashbacks in this story and how they melded to the present by the end.
New Mexico 3/5
This one had a few elements to pull together, but it was interesting. A perspective from a black agent in the fbi or whatever surveillance, recking with his own role as a black man watching other black men. It really shows how everyone is complicit, and the perfect example of that is his father.
The Spider 4/5
This one was good, giving glimpses into the historical context of the movement that I have been trying to pin to. I like how confusing it is to an outsider, but we get these tiny peeks, the windows of why the culture operates the way it does.
Candy for Hannif 5/5
This one was amazing. You really get to know the interiority of the narrator, her grief, the barrenness of her life that leads her to make really fast crazy decisions at the end of the story. Plus the description of the sleazy river cruise reminds me of my own cruise experience last year!
Janaza 2/5
Yeah this one fell flat. It’s an opportunity for reflection for different people who left the faith and had totally different experiences. It reminds you why people come back, and if the coming back itself is another form of rebellion.
Woman in Niqab 5/5
Yesss we love a wholesome mother/daughter story! The travel, the adolescent rebellion, the fucking off of the traditions that hold us back. Loved it all.
Who’s Down 4/5
Short and sweet this one hit a little close to home with the Palestine and Israel conflict. It was good, though.
Nikkah 5/5
Ugh this one was so good and heartbreaking. It’s so true how often new converts becoming more fundamental, running away from the hurt in their past that has led them into the arms of their new faith. And you lose so many important relationships along the way.
Sister Rose 3/5
This one didn’t stand out to me in a big way. It felt dreary and sad and a little nostalgic but it didn’t strike.
Due North 3/5
This one was conflicting for me. I resonated with so much of it—the desire to be accepted by just becoming who someone else wants you to be. But it was really long and I kept getting distracted. It might have felt the least compelling to hey through.
June 15, 2024
3,5 ⭐️
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