Victory

by Zainab Khan

My mother once said to me that if a woman’s life were to be a book it would contain two before marriage and after marriage. This is what my mother has known life to be. I carry her words and stories with me because they constantly remind me that a woman will overcome any adversity, not because she can but because she is meant to. For many years, I planned to write a collection of poems embodying my mother’s life experiences. I was held back because I didn’t possess the courage to put her experiences into poetry. But years later, I’ve managed to do so because I have realized that writing does not require approval, but it does require honesty. In Arabic, my mother’s name translates to victorious or successful. I have titled this poetry book Victory because, for me, my mother has managed to be victorious in all phases of her life. Although she will beg to differ, I know that no other woman would be able to endure both the happiness and sadness that my mom has so openly accepted in her life. In my attempts to transform my mother’s words into poetry, I hope I have done justice to her life’s experiences.

Genres: Poetry

151 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2018

About the author

Zainab Khan’s doodle journey began in 2013 when she started making YouTube videos that demonstrated her love for drawing cute, random characters. Today, her Pic Candle YouTube channel has over 500,000 subscribers and more than 27 million views. In 2016, she quit her job as a software engineer to become a full-time doodle artist. Zainab lives in Mumbai, India.

Reviews

[Brooke Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the perspective of this book! It’s touching and gives a more personal touch to the poems. Zainab does a grear job of maintaining a kind of flow through the book, even when the messages/themes of the poems vary. Her language and style feel polished in their wording.

The sections in the book have a little message with each one, which serves as words of wisdom as well as a general overview of the rest of the section. The way they’re written is very impactful, which I appreciated!

I would say this book is meant for women. It reminds me of a mix between prose poetry, modern poetry, and nonfiction books that seek to help women through personal experiences. Either way, there are some very powerful pieces and Zainab doesn’t shy away from emotions like anger and even a little jealousy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Elisea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!

This book of poetry is beautifully written. It conveys themes of heartache, healing, and a woman's role in a patriarchal society. I love the honesty throughout

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawn from her mother’s own life experiences, Zainab Khan’s Victory unravels through poetry stories of womanhood through the lens of culture, tradition, and religion. It calls into question the roles wives and mothers are asked to play and expresses the way their hurt can be felt across generations. Split into four sections ribbon tied with the author’s heartfelt prologue, Khan explores themes of family, betrayal, healing, and faith in regard to womanhood, culminating in a poetry collection that serves as a touching love letter to her mother’s fortitude and endurance.

While the experiences of Khan’s mother differ from my own, I found myself resonating with many of the collection’s revelations. There is something to be said for the universality of the experiences and emotions of women, which when captured with such aching honesty offer hope and inspiration in the resilience Zainab Khan depicts. Of this collection, some of my personal favorite poems include Daughters, Voices, and Beautiful Sorrows.

Many thanks to the author for providing me a copy for my honest review!!