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Honoured: Survival, Strength and My Path to Politics
By the age of five, Naz Shah was used to the sight of her father beating her mother. At six, her father left the family for a teenage neighbour. At twelve, she was sent to Pakistan for protection from her mother's new abuser, only to be forced into marriage at the age of fifteen. Within a couple of years, her mother would be in prison, jailed for murdering the man who had subjected her to years of physical and sexual torture, and Naz and her two younger siblings would be left to fend for themselves.
For years, Naz campaigned alongside Southall Black Sisters for her mother's release and was instrumental in achieving a reduction in her life sentence. Sustained by the ever-increasing strength of her Islamic faith and guided by its values of justice and compassion, she found purpose in the fight for her family and for others who had been silenced. In 2015, she was elected to Parliament, overturning George Galloway's majority to win back Bradford West for the Labour Party in one of the most momentous battles of the campaign. In serving the very community that once turned its back on her, she has transformed betrayal into leadership.
In Honoured, Naz reveals how growing up against almost impossible odds lit the fire that still drives her today. This is the unflinching account of a young British Muslim woman coming of age and discovering the power of her own voice. An inspiring story of survival, faith and political awakening, it charts the making of an activist determined to speak out, stand up and claim space in a world that rarely offers it.
For years, Naz campaigned alongside Southall Black Sisters for her mother's release and was instrumental in achieving a reduction in her life sentence. Sustained by the ever-increasing strength of her Islamic faith and guided by its values of justice and compassion, she found purpose in the fight for her family and for others who had been silenced. In 2015, she was elected to Parliament, overturning George Galloway's majority to win back Bradford West for the Labour Party in one of the most momentous battles of the campaign. In serving the very community that once turned its back on her, she has transformed betrayal into leadership.
In Honoured, Naz reveals how growing up against almost impossible odds lit the fire that still drives her today. This is the unflinching account of a young British Muslim woman coming of age and discovering the power of her own voice. An inspiring story of survival, faith and political awakening, it charts the making of an activist determined to speak out, stand up and claim space in a world that rarely offers it.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 14, 2026
How has no one else reviewed this? I tend not to read memoirs but as I work in the field of DV a friend told me Id like this book. I listened to it on audio and Naz reads it herself. She has gone through so much, at times my heart breaks for her. Yet, throughout it all, her take on the world is refreshing, kind, and comes from a place of deep love. I so loved this memoir and I wish nothing but good things for Naz Shah and her amazing, resilient family. The people of West Bradford are lucky to have her on their side.
April 24, 2026
I listened to this book after hearing Naz interviewed on The Rest is Politics podcast. I had vague memories of some aspects of her story, but didn’t know anything about Naz. I have never been a Labour voter, but Naz is so authentic and heartfelt in her desire to do her best for her constituents and community that I would vote for her if she were the MP for my community! Keep doing what you’re doing, Naz - you are amazing!
And to anyone else reading this review - read Naz’s book! You will also be amazed by her, I’m sure
And to anyone else reading this review - read Naz’s book! You will also be amazed by her, I’m sure
April 26, 2026
Honoured: Survival, Strength and My Path to Politics Naz Shah
I came to this book via The Rest Is Politics podcast. Shah was a compelling guest. I bought the book the same day.
This is the autobiography of a British Muslim woman MP. It is, in some ways, a quite tragic story. Her mother was convicted of murder after killing an abusive partner. They came from a poor Pakistani family. She and her mother did not have access to the same support and freedoms that I or my children do.
Shah speaks very openly and intentionally about her history, her life, and her family. The challenges some of them faced were horrific. What is striking is what she does not shy away from. She names the specific forms of abuse, assault, and violence that are epidemic in certain communities. She does not hesitate to point the finger at progressive commentators who refuse to engage with honour killings and female genital mutilation on cultural grounds. She has an enormous credibility in doing so. She calls out members of her own party who do the same.
A baradari is a patriarchal, hierarchical kinship network, rooted in the clan structures of Mirpur and Azad Kashmir and transplanted into British cities across several generations. In Bradford West, baradari networks controlled bloc voting and candidate selection for decades. George Galloway's 2012 by-election victory was built, in part, on a campaign against that entrenched power. Labour lost the seat. When they reclaimed it, they were not in a position to run business as usual. They selected Naz Shah.
I hate George Galloway with every atom of my being. It pains me to say this. But there is a debt she does not really acknowledge. She would never have been offered the Labour nomination had Galloway not lost the seat for them. When Labour first approached her, they told her that if she was good, she might be able to stand for parliament in five years time. She told them: "Put me up for the election next year and I'll consider standing; otherwise I'm not interested." That negotiating position was only available to her because Galloway had already made Bradford West unwinnable on Labour's old terms.
The questions Shah raises are not ones she can be required to answer. How does a tolerant, liberal, egalitarian person behave when dealing with intolerant, violent, abusive cultures? What is the appropriate response from progressives who turn a blind eye to certain practices for what they describe as cultural reasons? She calls this out. She names people in her own party who do it. But she does not resolve it.
The questions land anyway. For those who consider themselves progressive, they are live questions. Billy Bragg wrote about the progressive patriot. What is the positive view of being British? What is the positive version of what is, in some way, my culture? How do we frame this in a way that is inclusive but also unapologetic, built around a core set of values we are willing to defend? This feels like the ideological front that liberals have to fight. Shah does not fight it here. But she puts us closer to having to.
=============================================================================
For 2026 I am trying to do a write up on every book I read.
In this age of LLMs, it seems like paying attention is the uniquely human act. I also have a sense that some sort of book report will help me bury each book more deeply in my mental machinery.
My rating system is as follows:
***** - I'll read it again
**** - You should read it
*** - I'm glad I read it
** - I wish I hadn't read it
* - I wish it hadn't been written
I came to this book via The Rest Is Politics podcast. Shah was a compelling guest. I bought the book the same day.
This is the autobiography of a British Muslim woman MP. It is, in some ways, a quite tragic story. Her mother was convicted of murder after killing an abusive partner. They came from a poor Pakistani family. She and her mother did not have access to the same support and freedoms that I or my children do.
Shah speaks very openly and intentionally about her history, her life, and her family. The challenges some of them faced were horrific. What is striking is what she does not shy away from. She names the specific forms of abuse, assault, and violence that are epidemic in certain communities. She does not hesitate to point the finger at progressive commentators who refuse to engage with honour killings and female genital mutilation on cultural grounds. She has an enormous credibility in doing so. She calls out members of her own party who do the same.
A baradari is a patriarchal, hierarchical kinship network, rooted in the clan structures of Mirpur and Azad Kashmir and transplanted into British cities across several generations. In Bradford West, baradari networks controlled bloc voting and candidate selection for decades. George Galloway's 2012 by-election victory was built, in part, on a campaign against that entrenched power. Labour lost the seat. When they reclaimed it, they were not in a position to run business as usual. They selected Naz Shah.
I hate George Galloway with every atom of my being. It pains me to say this. But there is a debt she does not really acknowledge. She would never have been offered the Labour nomination had Galloway not lost the seat for them. When Labour first approached her, they told her that if she was good, she might be able to stand for parliament in five years time. She told them: "Put me up for the election next year and I'll consider standing; otherwise I'm not interested." That negotiating position was only available to her because Galloway had already made Bradford West unwinnable on Labour's old terms.
The questions Shah raises are not ones she can be required to answer. How does a tolerant, liberal, egalitarian person behave when dealing with intolerant, violent, abusive cultures? What is the appropriate response from progressives who turn a blind eye to certain practices for what they describe as cultural reasons? She calls this out. She names people in her own party who do it. But she does not resolve it.
The questions land anyway. For those who consider themselves progressive, they are live questions. Billy Bragg wrote about the progressive patriot. What is the positive view of being British? What is the positive version of what is, in some way, my culture? How do we frame this in a way that is inclusive but also unapologetic, built around a core set of values we are willing to defend? This feels like the ideological front that liberals have to fight. Shah does not fight it here. But she puts us closer to having to.
=============================================================================
For 2026 I am trying to do a write up on every book I read.
In this age of LLMs, it seems like paying attention is the uniquely human act. I also have a sense that some sort of book report will help me bury each book more deeply in my mental machinery.
My rating system is as follows:
***** - I'll read it again
**** - You should read it
*** - I'm glad I read it
** - I wish I hadn't read it
* - I wish it hadn't been written
Read
May 1, 2026Listened on audio
This is a remarkable memoir focusing on Naz Shah, a Labour MP for Bradford West. 'Honoured' focuses on her Shah's childhood, in particular the domestic abuse faced by her mother and her mother's subsequent imprisonment after murdering her abuser Uncle Azzam. Through the book, we explore the concept of Izzat, the Urdu word for honour and how it has been manipulated to serve the interests of patriarchy. Shah, in many interviews, has said she wants to return Izzat to women, remove them from shame and put shame onto those who abuse the concept for their own means.
This story is extremely harrowing, the first half of the memoir is difficult to get through. Hearing what Shah's mother had to go through and the subsequent fall-out on her children is heart-wrenching. I was in awe of the resilience of the Shah family. There are beautiful passages where Shah connects her resilience to her faith in Islam. How despite everything, Naz is able to have a deep love and respect for Bradford, so much so that stands for MP for Bradford West. The story is not cut and dry; it is clear that there is still so much hurt and trauma in this family. But at the same time, there is so much strength.
A brilliant memoir.
This is a remarkable memoir focusing on Naz Shah, a Labour MP for Bradford West. 'Honoured' focuses on her Shah's childhood, in particular the domestic abuse faced by her mother and her mother's subsequent imprisonment after murdering her abuser Uncle Azzam. Through the book, we explore the concept of Izzat, the Urdu word for honour and how it has been manipulated to serve the interests of patriarchy. Shah, in many interviews, has said she wants to return Izzat to women, remove them from shame and put shame onto those who abuse the concept for their own means.
This story is extremely harrowing, the first half of the memoir is difficult to get through. Hearing what Shah's mother had to go through and the subsequent fall-out on her children is heart-wrenching. I was in awe of the resilience of the Shah family. There are beautiful passages where Shah connects her resilience to her faith in Islam. How despite everything, Naz is able to have a deep love and respect for Bradford, so much so that stands for MP for Bradford West. The story is not cut and dry; it is clear that there is still so much hurt and trauma in this family. But at the same time, there is so much strength.
A brilliant memoir.
April 23, 2026
Read this all in a day. Incredible woman, incredible story. You are an inspiration to young British Pakistani women, including me❤️ we need more people like you in this world, how you use your pain and platform to help others is just a reflection of how amazing you are as person, continue doing you!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews