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No Country Woman: A Memoir of Not Belonging
A fresh and exciting feminist memoir about what it means to never feel at home where you live.
'I was born in a hospital in Suva, Fiji. I can't recall ever seeing the building on my trips back to the city, first as a child or later as an adult. I imagine it in shades of blue and brown, the plastic waiting room chairs covered in the fine film of moisture that creeps over everything there. It is not a place I've thought of often, but I think of it now and wonder how it has shaped me.
I am Fijian-Indian, and have lived in Australia since I was three years old. Memories of my early life in Fiji are limited to flashes, like an old film projector running backwards. I remember a blue dress, a trip on a boat where my father handed me a dried, floating starfish that I clutched in my fingers, determined not to lose it back to the ocean.'
No Country Woman is the story of never knowing where you belong. It's about not feeling represented in the media you consumed, not being connected to the culture of your forebears, not having the respect of your peers.
It's about living in a multicultural society with a monocultural focus but being determined to be heard.
It's about challenging society's need to define us and it's a rallying cry for the future.
It's a memoir full of heart, fury and intelligence - and the book we need right now.
'I was born in a hospital in Suva, Fiji. I can't recall ever seeing the building on my trips back to the city, first as a child or later as an adult. I imagine it in shades of blue and brown, the plastic waiting room chairs covered in the fine film of moisture that creeps over everything there. It is not a place I've thought of often, but I think of it now and wonder how it has shaped me.
I am Fijian-Indian, and have lived in Australia since I was three years old. Memories of my early life in Fiji are limited to flashes, like an old film projector running backwards. I remember a blue dress, a trip on a boat where my father handed me a dried, floating starfish that I clutched in my fingers, determined not to lose it back to the ocean.'
No Country Woman is the story of never knowing where you belong. It's about not feeling represented in the media you consumed, not being connected to the culture of your forebears, not having the respect of your peers.
It's about living in a multicultural society with a monocultural focus but being determined to be heard.
It's about challenging society's need to define us and it's a rallying cry for the future.
It's a memoir full of heart, fury and intelligence - and the book we need right now.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 14, 2018
13 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
August 20, 2018
I wanted to like this a bit more than I did - Patel is an engaging memoirist, writing with candour and thoughtfulness about life between cultures - but there were times it felt like a loosely connected set of memoir-y essays rather than a really strong and coherent narrative. That's fine of course, but then you want the essays to dig a bit deeper - if you're going to write a chapter about vegetarianism, than I want something a bit more involved and thought-provoking. This is all a bit critical - it's a smart and readable book with some real insights to offer, I just came in with very high expectations I think.
February 24, 2019
3.5/5
***I want to preface this review with my personal background so my point-of-view comes off constructive and not critical. I am a Fiji-Indian male who was born in QLD in ’95, notably I am not a Gujarati but my family were Girmitiyas (indentured labourers) most likely from rural Utter Pradesh. (The most significant difference between Gujarartis and Hindustanis is that Gujarats came as free passengers to Fiji as economic migrants). My family migrated after the first coup of ’87 to Wagga Wagga with my brother (born ’85) after being sponsored by our aunty. ***
The Fiji-Indian experience is an undiscovered one in Australia, I recently did cultural awareness training where they asked where home was. This is a question I have particularly recently questioned as I have been trying to discover my ancestral roots. I answered to a class of 100 mostly white people that I didn’t find Brisbane my home (lived here since birth), nor Fiji or India. I felt tension/grief/upset saying that to a room of people who didn’t care about my culture, but somehow I added a joke to lighten the mood as everyone easily defined their home as their birthplace or where their family lived. First-gen Fijian migrants of Indian descent (unlike their diasporic parents) are slowly entering battles of cultural assimilation whether they know it or not and I believe Zoya and I are having similar identity crises.
The anecdote above may be meaningless to many but it ties into this book’s theme of Not Belonging. The book is ultimately 12 short essays about belongingness and identity. Zoya’s writing is very approachable but academic at the same time but personally I felt the essays were not fleshed out enough to give weight to the concepts she discussed. Her emotional highs for me were when she discussed her family and their labour of love (as those topics heavily march with me) but for the average white reader it can seem lacklustre. I also loved the essays ‘When chai is tea” and The Slumdog Reality” as those really highlighted Zoya’s skill of critically analysing her culture/class.
The biggest downfall of this book is that it is shrouded in privilege. A lot of the essays in this are prefaced with Zoya describing her past disdain for her Fiji-Indianness, cultural rejection then newly found admiration of her culture. It takes away from the impact of the essays and makes me dislike the book. My most upsetting moment is me realising how lucky Zoya is to know her ancestry and motherland, something I have been trying to discover and most likely will never know.
Ultimately, I think this book is a great book for diasporic Indians especially Fiji Indians. I am too at a crossroads where I feel my culture drifting away from me (THANKS to colonialism) and am scared of the potential assimilation that will lead to the end of Fiji-Indian culture. The Fiji-Indians of this generation will have to be the bearers of our history/culture to pass it on to the next generation. The concept of belongingness will be an issue that I continual question and I hope other Fiji-Indians do the same. If Zoya Patel is reading this review I am always open to discuss identity with a fellow Fiji-Indian.
***I want to preface this review with my personal background so my point-of-view comes off constructive and not critical. I am a Fiji-Indian male who was born in QLD in ’95, notably I am not a Gujarati but my family were Girmitiyas (indentured labourers) most likely from rural Utter Pradesh. (The most significant difference between Gujarartis and Hindustanis is that Gujarats came as free passengers to Fiji as economic migrants). My family migrated after the first coup of ’87 to Wagga Wagga with my brother (born ’85) after being sponsored by our aunty. ***
The Fiji-Indian experience is an undiscovered one in Australia, I recently did cultural awareness training where they asked where home was. This is a question I have particularly recently questioned as I have been trying to discover my ancestral roots. I answered to a class of 100 mostly white people that I didn’t find Brisbane my home (lived here since birth), nor Fiji or India. I felt tension/grief/upset saying that to a room of people who didn’t care about my culture, but somehow I added a joke to lighten the mood as everyone easily defined their home as their birthplace or where their family lived. First-gen Fijian migrants of Indian descent (unlike their diasporic parents) are slowly entering battles of cultural assimilation whether they know it or not and I believe Zoya and I are having similar identity crises.
The anecdote above may be meaningless to many but it ties into this book’s theme of Not Belonging. The book is ultimately 12 short essays about belongingness and identity. Zoya’s writing is very approachable but academic at the same time but personally I felt the essays were not fleshed out enough to give weight to the concepts she discussed. Her emotional highs for me were when she discussed her family and their labour of love (as those topics heavily march with me) but for the average white reader it can seem lacklustre. I also loved the essays ‘When chai is tea” and The Slumdog Reality” as those really highlighted Zoya’s skill of critically analysing her culture/class.
The biggest downfall of this book is that it is shrouded in privilege. A lot of the essays in this are prefaced with Zoya describing her past disdain for her Fiji-Indianness, cultural rejection then newly found admiration of her culture. It takes away from the impact of the essays and makes me dislike the book. My most upsetting moment is me realising how lucky Zoya is to know her ancestry and motherland, something I have been trying to discover and most likely will never know.
Ultimately, I think this book is a great book for diasporic Indians especially Fiji Indians. I am too at a crossroads where I feel my culture drifting away from me (THANKS to colonialism) and am scared of the potential assimilation that will lead to the end of Fiji-Indian culture. The Fiji-Indians of this generation will have to be the bearers of our history/culture to pass it on to the next generation. The concept of belongingness will be an issue that I continual question and I hope other Fiji-Indians do the same. If Zoya Patel is reading this review I am always open to discuss identity with a fellow Fiji-Indian.
June 16, 2018
Full of wisdom, resilience, passion and insight, this is an excellent and highly readable memoir-slash-essay-collection by a brilliant young writer.
June 8, 2018
Patel explores migrant guilt, female friendship and vegetarianism in ways I could strongly relate to. She interrogates race and religion in an intelligent and engaging manner through a feminist lens. Her hyphenated life as a Fijian-Indian-Australian is the central focus of the book and I thought she teased out the facets of each part of her identity in thought-provoking and illuminating ways. I devoured this memoir and felt the second half was particularly strong. Also, we all need a friend like Melissa!
August 16, 2018
In No Country Woman, Patel tackles so many unspoken issues it’s the sort of book you’ll need to let soak, and turn back to over and again. As the title suggests, this is a rich memoir exploring identity and not belonging, spanning questions about race, feminism, national identity and family.
This is Patel’s debut, but she is well-known in the Canberra community as the founder of Feminartsy, a website dedicated to promoting women’s writing and experiences. This memoir did feel more like an in-depth series of connected essays, cleverly drawing broad conclusions from Patel’s life experiences, but with the complexity of the author’s own emotions and uncertainty layered over the top (a laHelen Garner).
Patel jumps from her varying reactions to holidaying in Fiji, the land of her parents’ upbringing, to experiences in Australia with the Indian dimension of her identity, and reactions to her travel to India, as she tries to reconcile the pressures and expectations of others with her own feelings and understanding. However, this is not a solely introspective tale. On the contrary, Patel makes her readers question their own assumptions, words and actions with each annecdote – have I ever made someone feel like that? What can I do to make our society more inclusive to those straddling nations and identities? She takes the time to try and find answers, but also acknowledges the complexity inherrent in such enquiries.
I was particularly moved by her account of the more insidious, subtle forms of racism she has experienced – signals from friends that aspects of her taste and style weren’t mainstream, causing her to self-censor and isolate herself from large parts of her heritage.
This is the sort of book everyone, regardless of background, should read to better understand the migrant experience in Australia, but also to consider and reflect on ourselves as members of a community and nation, and how we can do better.
Recommended if you liked: The Hate Race
This is Patel’s debut, but she is well-known in the Canberra community as the founder of Feminartsy, a website dedicated to promoting women’s writing and experiences. This memoir did feel more like an in-depth series of connected essays, cleverly drawing broad conclusions from Patel’s life experiences, but with the complexity of the author’s own emotions and uncertainty layered over the top (a laHelen Garner).
Patel jumps from her varying reactions to holidaying in Fiji, the land of her parents’ upbringing, to experiences in Australia with the Indian dimension of her identity, and reactions to her travel to India, as she tries to reconcile the pressures and expectations of others with her own feelings and understanding. However, this is not a solely introspective tale. On the contrary, Patel makes her readers question their own assumptions, words and actions with each annecdote – have I ever made someone feel like that? What can I do to make our society more inclusive to those straddling nations and identities? She takes the time to try and find answers, but also acknowledges the complexity inherrent in such enquiries.
I was particularly moved by her account of the more insidious, subtle forms of racism she has experienced – signals from friends that aspects of her taste and style weren’t mainstream, causing her to self-censor and isolate herself from large parts of her heritage.
This is the sort of book everyone, regardless of background, should read to better understand the migrant experience in Australia, but also to consider and reflect on ourselves as members of a community and nation, and how we can do better.
Recommended if you liked: The Hate Race
September 2, 2018
http://jessjustreads.com
No Country Woman by Zoya Patel is a feminist memoir about what it means to never feel at home where you live.
Zoya Patel is the founder of Feminartsy and is a Fijian-Indian writer. She’s based in Canberra and moved to Australia when she was very little. No Country Woman is an exploration of her heritage, culture and place in this country.
"I was born in a hospital in Suva, Fiji. …It is not a place I've thought of often, but I think of it now and wonder how it has shaped me. I am Fijian-Indian, and have lived in Australia since I was three years old. Memories of my early life in Fiji are limited to flashes, like an old film projector running backwards. I remember a blue dress, a trip on a boat where my father handed me a dried, floating starfish that I clutched in my fingers, determined not to lose it back to the ocean."
Zoya explores her identity through a number of lenses — location, family, religion, relationships, holidays, education. She reflects on her own experiences as a migrant to Australia, and how she’s experienced racism and prejudice in this country. She examines her childhood and her attempts to rebel against her heritage, and she also documents the times she travelled away from home and how her experiences shaped her identity.
No Country Woman is an eye-opening read for anyone who isn’t a migrant to this country, and who hasn’t experienced racism. Zoya tries to help us understand the complexities of a multicultural society, and how important it is to be aware of one’s privilege and circumstance.
Zoya also touches on discrimination, because many people in the world experience it. Sometimes it may be because of the colour of their skin, or their culture, or it may be because of sexuality, gender or disability. It’s important to be an ally for the disadvantaged and marginalised in society.
I admire Zoya’s ability to look at many issues from different perspectives, so that she’s not just pushing one agenda to the reader but presenting a situation from many different sides to allow the reader to make up their own mind.
“One of the most pervasive stereotypes of Indian immigrants the world over is that of the Indian small-business owner, the savvy, stingy subcontinental with a cockroach-like ability to thrive in any environment, who infiltrates a milker or service station and takes over entirely, unable to be dislodged as they feed off the economy they have adopted.”
I struggled with the book’s jarring balance of memoir vs. academia. I connected with the book most when Zoya was exploring her history and her memories, when she was telling us about her parents and her family and other aspects of her life that were important to her.
But at times, Zoya moves between memoir and statistics, or memoir and academic research, and I found the transition very jolting and not as seamless as it could’ve been.
Additionally, some parts of the book felt very drawn out. For example, there’s one whole chapter on Zoya’s relationship with the water and swimming. Whilst the chapter is very interesting and important to her identity, it’s seventeen pages long and I felt that she could’ve been more succinct in what she was trying to say.
Despite this, Zoya’s memoir will be enjoyed by many readers. There are moments of humour and light-heartedness, and Zoya’s writing is sharp. No Country Woman allows the reader to develop a greater understanding of issues surrounding race, culture and identity. It’s revelatory read.
Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
No Country Woman by Zoya Patel is a feminist memoir about what it means to never feel at home where you live.
Zoya Patel is the founder of Feminartsy and is a Fijian-Indian writer. She’s based in Canberra and moved to Australia when she was very little. No Country Woman is an exploration of her heritage, culture and place in this country.
"I was born in a hospital in Suva, Fiji. …It is not a place I've thought of often, but I think of it now and wonder how it has shaped me. I am Fijian-Indian, and have lived in Australia since I was three years old. Memories of my early life in Fiji are limited to flashes, like an old film projector running backwards. I remember a blue dress, a trip on a boat where my father handed me a dried, floating starfish that I clutched in my fingers, determined not to lose it back to the ocean."
Zoya explores her identity through a number of lenses — location, family, religion, relationships, holidays, education. She reflects on her own experiences as a migrant to Australia, and how she’s experienced racism and prejudice in this country. She examines her childhood and her attempts to rebel against her heritage, and she also documents the times she travelled away from home and how her experiences shaped her identity.
No Country Woman is an eye-opening read for anyone who isn’t a migrant to this country, and who hasn’t experienced racism. Zoya tries to help us understand the complexities of a multicultural society, and how important it is to be aware of one’s privilege and circumstance.
Zoya also touches on discrimination, because many people in the world experience it. Sometimes it may be because of the colour of their skin, or their culture, or it may be because of sexuality, gender or disability. It’s important to be an ally for the disadvantaged and marginalised in society.
I admire Zoya’s ability to look at many issues from different perspectives, so that she’s not just pushing one agenda to the reader but presenting a situation from many different sides to allow the reader to make up their own mind.
“One of the most pervasive stereotypes of Indian immigrants the world over is that of the Indian small-business owner, the savvy, stingy subcontinental with a cockroach-like ability to thrive in any environment, who infiltrates a milker or service station and takes over entirely, unable to be dislodged as they feed off the economy they have adopted.”
I struggled with the book’s jarring balance of memoir vs. academia. I connected with the book most when Zoya was exploring her history and her memories, when she was telling us about her parents and her family and other aspects of her life that were important to her.
But at times, Zoya moves between memoir and statistics, or memoir and academic research, and I found the transition very jolting and not as seamless as it could’ve been.
Additionally, some parts of the book felt very drawn out. For example, there’s one whole chapter on Zoya’s relationship with the water and swimming. Whilst the chapter is very interesting and important to her identity, it’s seventeen pages long and I felt that she could’ve been more succinct in what she was trying to say.
Despite this, Zoya’s memoir will be enjoyed by many readers. There are moments of humour and light-heartedness, and Zoya’s writing is sharp. No Country Woman allows the reader to develop a greater understanding of issues surrounding race, culture and identity. It’s revelatory read.
Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 22, 2018
No Country Woman is a story of culture, identity and not belonging.
In this set of compelling contemporary memoir essays Patel artfully blends together personal narrative with insightful social political analysis.
She takes the emotion of the micro and acute experiences of racism, and contextualizes them in large scale context of the macro critique.
Patel invites us into her life, her family, her relationships and shows us her struggles with living a hyphenated life as a Fijian-Indian-Australian woman growing up in Canberra and regional Australia.
Her negotiation with trying to fit in, break out of and re-discover cultural identity is enthralling.
Her stories of family, travel, friendship, feminism, vegetarianism and more prove to be deeply relatable for the Australian intergenerational migrant experience and offer up thought-provoking examinations for all readers.
In the current climate where the everyday challenges of racism, feminism and climate change bear heavy and ignite us all.
This book is a response to “a generation feeling increased pressure to find solutions to cultural inequality.”
This is the book that is unafraid to unwaveringly show you the ugly face of racism in australia and offer measured explanations to why racism happens.
If you have ever felt lost by the question of why, this is the book you’ve book looking for, this is the book we have all been looking for
In this set of compelling contemporary memoir essays Patel artfully blends together personal narrative with insightful social political analysis.
She takes the emotion of the micro and acute experiences of racism, and contextualizes them in large scale context of the macro critique.
Patel invites us into her life, her family, her relationships and shows us her struggles with living a hyphenated life as a Fijian-Indian-Australian woman growing up in Canberra and regional Australia.
Her negotiation with trying to fit in, break out of and re-discover cultural identity is enthralling.
Her stories of family, travel, friendship, feminism, vegetarianism and more prove to be deeply relatable for the Australian intergenerational migrant experience and offer up thought-provoking examinations for all readers.
In the current climate where the everyday challenges of racism, feminism and climate change bear heavy and ignite us all.
This book is a response to “a generation feeling increased pressure to find solutions to cultural inequality.”
This is the book that is unafraid to unwaveringly show you the ugly face of racism in australia and offer measured explanations to why racism happens.
If you have ever felt lost by the question of why, this is the book you’ve book looking for, this is the book we have all been looking for
June 9, 2018
In her razor-sharp debut, No-Country Woman: A Memoir of Not Belonging, Fijian-Indian-Australian writer Zoya Patel charts the chasm that results from juggling three cultures at once, never completely belonging to any of them yet constantly being aware of how each has informed her identity.
Read the rest of my review here on Books+Publishing: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au...
Read the rest of my review here on Books+Publishing: https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au...
March 4, 2019
[I can hardly believe I read this book in its entirety (and took notes) in just under six hours.]
So far, my 2019 has been a year of reading incredible nonfiction books by Australian women of ethnically and religiously diverse backgrounds. This book is another gem, this time examining the first-generation migrant experience and the feeling of not belonging to the culture you've been raised in or your parent's culture. As the child of migrant parents myself, there were a lot of passages in Patel's book that struck a chord.
One instance of this is when she talks about her memories of Fiji as manufactured through the stories of her family as well as her own experiences of visiting, the dividing line between the two blurred to the point where she cannot tell which of her memories is 'true' and which are imagined. Having visited my parents' home country several times growing up, I've been left with a similar patchwork of childhood memories mixed with my parents' stories.
Another passage that hit home was Patel's desire to 'take pride in a country that [she] barely knew, but wanted to'. She talks about the feeling of being alien and foreign in Fiji, despite being a product of it. This is something a lot of migrant children feel, often most potently when they become adults and try to reconnect with their cultural heritage.
It's important to note that, while I could relate to a lot of what Patel has to say about the migrant experience, her experiences also differ significantly from my own. My parents migrated from a predominantly white, Christian nation in Europe, allowing them to integrate into Australian society with a level of ease not available to POC migrants. As Patel observes, even though she is from Fiji, where English is a common language, she and her family are still assumed to have little grasp of the language. Additionally, by virtue of not being white, her Australian identity is constantly called into question by other Australians. She discusses the racism she faces, both externally from white Australians, and through her internalised feelings towards her own body/place in society. More than that, she examines the reasons behind racism in Australia, particularly in terms of class and scapegoating behaviours that allow people in unenviable circumstances to project their dissatisfaction onto a designated 'other' who can bear the blame.
This book feels more like a collection of beautifully crafted essays rather than memoir. Patel blends her personal experiences and academic discourse with ease. She examines each subject in relation to various moments in her life, with no linear life narrative/story. For me, that was something that really drew me in and kept me reading. The personal essay is such a powerful form, one that is gaining more and more attention within Australian literary circles. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Zoya Patel's future work because this debut was superb.
So far, my 2019 has been a year of reading incredible nonfiction books by Australian women of ethnically and religiously diverse backgrounds. This book is another gem, this time examining the first-generation migrant experience and the feeling of not belonging to the culture you've been raised in or your parent's culture. As the child of migrant parents myself, there were a lot of passages in Patel's book that struck a chord.
One instance of this is when she talks about her memories of Fiji as manufactured through the stories of her family as well as her own experiences of visiting, the dividing line between the two blurred to the point where she cannot tell which of her memories is 'true' and which are imagined. Having visited my parents' home country several times growing up, I've been left with a similar patchwork of childhood memories mixed with my parents' stories.
Another passage that hit home was Patel's desire to 'take pride in a country that [she] barely knew, but wanted to'. She talks about the feeling of being alien and foreign in Fiji, despite being a product of it. This is something a lot of migrant children feel, often most potently when they become adults and try to reconnect with their cultural heritage.
It's important to note that, while I could relate to a lot of what Patel has to say about the migrant experience, her experiences also differ significantly from my own. My parents migrated from a predominantly white, Christian nation in Europe, allowing them to integrate into Australian society with a level of ease not available to POC migrants. As Patel observes, even though she is from Fiji, where English is a common language, she and her family are still assumed to have little grasp of the language. Additionally, by virtue of not being white, her Australian identity is constantly called into question by other Australians. She discusses the racism she faces, both externally from white Australians, and through her internalised feelings towards her own body/place in society. More than that, she examines the reasons behind racism in Australia, particularly in terms of class and scapegoating behaviours that allow people in unenviable circumstances to project their dissatisfaction onto a designated 'other' who can bear the blame.
This book feels more like a collection of beautifully crafted essays rather than memoir. Patel blends her personal experiences and academic discourse with ease. She examines each subject in relation to various moments in her life, with no linear life narrative/story. For me, that was something that really drew me in and kept me reading. The personal essay is such a powerful form, one that is gaining more and more attention within Australian literary circles. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for Zoya Patel's future work because this debut was superb.
August 22, 2018
Loved this book!! As a migrant it really resonated with experiences I have had! And there was a light atmosphere that didn’t make it overwhelming to read.
February 20, 2019
A fairly fast but enjoyable read about Zoya's experiences with racism and sexism growing up in Canberra. Particularly liked her explorations of poverty and privilege as a Fijian-Indian-Australian when visiting India.
August 19, 2018
No Country Woman is nuanced, thoughtful, thought-provoking and unapologetic.
To understand what the experiences of migrant communities and people of colour can look like in Australia (crucially not what the experiences of every person of colour will look like – because as Patel reminds us, this is her personal story, not just a new stereotype) we need to start listening to diverse voices. This richly detailed, relentlessly thorough, and rewarding memoir is a very good place to start.
Touching while also interrogating systemic issues relating to class, gender and race – No Country Woman should be put on high school reading lists. If you don’t work in a state department of education and can’t make that happen, at least buy a copy for a friend!
To understand what the experiences of migrant communities and people of colour can look like in Australia (crucially not what the experiences of every person of colour will look like – because as Patel reminds us, this is her personal story, not just a new stereotype) we need to start listening to diverse voices. This richly detailed, relentlessly thorough, and rewarding memoir is a very good place to start.
Touching while also interrogating systemic issues relating to class, gender and race – No Country Woman should be put on high school reading lists. If you don’t work in a state department of education and can’t make that happen, at least buy a copy for a friend!
August 5, 2018
Zoya Patel’s memoir takes the form of a collection of essays, each exploring a topic that has influenced her life growing up in Australia after having moved here from Fiji at a young age.
From exploring experiences of systemic racism in Australia to becoming engaged in Canberra’s arts scene and turning vegetarian, the underlying theme that emerges is of the complexity of the experience of growing up as a first or second generation migrant in Australia in the 21st century. Amongst the serious topics however there is also lightness and humour throughout, and much food for thought. A really exciting debut.
From exploring experiences of systemic racism in Australia to becoming engaged in Canberra’s arts scene and turning vegetarian, the underlying theme that emerges is of the complexity of the experience of growing up as a first or second generation migrant in Australia in the 21st century. Amongst the serious topics however there is also lightness and humour throughout, and much food for thought. A really exciting debut.
December 30, 2020
A much needed perspective, unfortunately it does veer into repetition. A few really poignant and inciteful essays, but perhaps not enough there for an entire book.
March 27, 2019
I think this is the first book i have read on the Indian-Australian diaspora experience. It was refreshing and marks a distinct start in what I hope will open up more stories from the south asian diaspora to come forward. I thought Zoya's work elucidated some key experiences of Indian diaspora hyphen identities. As a member of the Indian diaspora myself there were many stories Zoya narrates that felt very close to home and almost word for word a page out of my own life. Her reflections on growing up as an other in Australia were spot on, as well as the settler anxieties diapora nonwhite migrants hold of simultaneously wanting to survive and thrive in the dominant culture while maintaining their distinct cultures and histories on stolen Indigenous land. It was refreshing to have a nonwhite poc migrant work through settler colonial positionality. I didn't necessarily agree with Zoya's framing of racism to be solved if *we just* listened to the 'poor whites'. I think these concepts are more intertwined then purely scapegoating. Racism permeats all classes of society, it is a child of colonialism and sibling of capitalism. The vegetarian chapter too kind of broke the flow for me a little. Zoya ends on a profound reflection - one day will there ever be a word for no-country, no-nation people? its an interesting thought amid fears of melting pots and the 'vanishing races'.
September 30, 2018
Reading this book was an extraordinary experience for me. But for places, dates and names, many of the experiences that Patel describes of growing up as a migrant in Australia (and in Canberra!) of Indian descent could have been my story. She is incredibly honest in describing her reactions to these events - which is where we often differ - but the experiences are the same. I had so many moments of recognition reading this book. The assumption that she doesn't speak English; assumptions about how she is treated in her Muslim family (her parents are loving, supportive and open minded); the experience of living in two worlds and two lives - one Indian, one "Australian" (whatever that is) and the constant sense of 'otherness' wherever she might be - in Fiji, in India or in Australia. You never really belong anywhere - hence the title.
Like me, Patel wrestles with these questions. There are no easy answers. She sees racism and flaws in both cultures, and tries to critique these without condemning the cultures. It is a difficult line to walk. If anything, her story is a case study of why it is so hard to have a reasoned and rational discussion about race in Australia. Absolutely excellent.
August 11, 2019
I just didn’t enjoy this book. Drawn in by the cover but my enjoyment ended there. I am sure the author felt as though she got a lot off her chest but I can’t help but feel it offered no solutions and just a lot of hypocritical stereotyping. If this book was written by me it would not get a look in. 1.5 stars (half a star for the cover - love the pink!)
April 10, 2023
perhaps being australian is a state of mind to me - accessible through the portal of distance, but one that wobbles and blurs when i am too close to home.
patel writes with thoughtful simplicity on her experiences with alienation, but its when she attempts to connect those experiences to an analysis of structural issues that this book really falters. i appreciate her efforts to inject some nuance into discussions of liberal anti-racism, particularly her commentary on tokenistic multiculturalism in australia, but she falls into the classic trap of contrasting race and class as though these issues couldn't possibly intersect. "POC will continue to be scapegoats for the white working class," she writes, begging the question - which POC? do working class people of color not exist? not to patel it would seem, because they exist outside the scope of her lived experience.
this is a running theme throughout - her analyses are near constantly blinkered by her personal experiences. granted this is a memoir so the intensely personal slant is expected, but if you're making the leap from musings on life to sociopolitical insights, you should probably consider the kind of generalized statements you make.
much of the memoir is suffused with a sense of guilt over patel's privilege - and to her credit, she is at least self aware ("it doesn't escape me that in dealing with the injustice of economic inequality I managed to make the suffering of others entirely about me") and even identifies her feelings as symptomatic of western individualism. but this really just functions as a disclaimer for her to continue on course. again - personal feeling, fine in a memoir etc, but very unproductive when it pervades her analysis.
her feminist commentary - the aspect of this book that i was most interested in - is unfortunately by far the weakest. patel really struggles to treat the oppression of women as a serious issue in its own right. here's a gem from the book:
by using the term 'woman', liberal feminism dug its own grave. it could be construed as an inclusive term but it is in fact an essentializing term that allows the white mainstream to bypass minority issues [...] the use of 'women' in a lot of mainstream feminist rhetoric implied that the norm is for all women to be white ...
what kind of insane troll logic .... why is feminism the only movement that is forbidden from naming the demographic it concerns.
its hard enough to take the concerning chapter seriously, riddled as it is with untrue claims ("[the bidaai's] origins are sexist - even if it isn't meant that way today" really? indians no longer consider girls to be a burden? since when?), tedious appeasement ("gender roles hurt us all. my brother loves to cook but wasn't encouraged to" - when the preceding paragraph is about child marriage and bride burning? with due respect, develop a sense of scale) and random valorization of individual choice ("my mother is expressing her personal choice to express her faith through the hijab"). then patel goes a step furthur and wraps up this debacle by criticizing "mainstream feminism" for the proposed burqa ban in australia. now a cursory google search could tell you that the ban was chiefly concerned with security and anti-terrorism and had nothing to do with feminism or the protection of muslim women, even if individual white women made those arguments. its parliamentary proponents are conservative christians. there are real critiques of racism in the feminist movement but this is just scapegoating feminism for shit that has nothing to do with women's liberation.
tonally this book comes across very "dear white people"; despite dealing with the profound alienation of being a women of color who stands out in white society, it seems as much a plea to be understood by white people as it is an elucidation of the author's experiences. i found it interesting the author admits to having social networks that are almost entirely white - inescapable in certain professional fields sure, but we're talking canberra here, not bumfuck nowhere. reminiscent of jess ho's raised by wolves; perhaps a feature of the 1.5/2 generation immigrant experience that's rarely stated but certainly comes through in the writing.
September 26, 2023
In "No Country Woman: A Memoir of Not Belonging", Zoya Patel expressed her continuous struggle with having a skin colour that is distinctly different from those around her. In addition, even when all around her are brown, she also stuck up as different as the way she speaks, dresses and ideologies (which made her her own person) are different and as the puts it, of the privilege. All these and more chime in with all my thoughts (except probably for vegetarianism as I don't think I could...)
The memoir begins with her family's emigration to Australia when she was 3 years old and ever since, she had to grapple with the concept of being pulled and yet not quite ever immersed in these different cultures of her ancestry and her current home. She discussed all the factors which distinguished her from the norm of populations including her choice to become vegetarian and feminist. Choices which saw her on the outside of all cultural societies. She discussed eloquently the issues from which these stem from and yet, there is nothing an individual could change on their own. It is a systemic issue which we hope to see, in future, will be eradicated but for now, can only speak up and share our own individual stories to others to know they are not alone.
"the issue of racism is as elusive as smoke. It is hard to pin down, hard to completely expel - it is layer upon layer of fine ash, so subtle that it is absorbed into our lungs and skin without us even realising."
The memoir begins with her family's emigration to Australia when she was 3 years old and ever since, she had to grapple with the concept of being pulled and yet not quite ever immersed in these different cultures of her ancestry and her current home. She discussed all the factors which distinguished her from the norm of populations including her choice to become vegetarian and feminist. Choices which saw her on the outside of all cultural societies. She discussed eloquently the issues from which these stem from and yet, there is nothing an individual could change on their own. It is a systemic issue which we hope to see, in future, will be eradicated but for now, can only speak up and share our own individual stories to others to know they are not alone.
"the issue of racism is as elusive as smoke. It is hard to pin down, hard to completely expel - it is layer upon layer of fine ash, so subtle that it is absorbed into our lungs and skin without us even realising."
December 27, 2018
As great, insightful memoir - a story that reflects and overlaps my own in many ways, it was refreshing and affirming to read a feminist memoir by a WOC. I’ve loved many feminist memoirs (think Clem Ford, Caitlin Moran) but their tales of growing up were so removed from my own experience that I longed to read something about being a brown feminist in a white landscape. Patel achieves this, as well as exploring the complex nuances of navigating the Fijian-Indian identity, something I’ve seen my friends struggle with too. Her chapters are short and snappy and I was particularly partial to “How to be an alley - take two”. It will be interesting to see her reflections on this in a decade or so, where she is still struggling to combine her Australianess with her Findianness or if she has come closer to a balance.
September 12, 2018
This was a great read. Enlightening and entertaining, while providing a positive framework for societal change.
I would strongly encourage all Australians to read this book as a stark wake-up call to what our nation is like for people of colour. And non-Australians should be reading it to understand the diversity of our national experience, as it is a more accurate depiction of modern Australia than most Australians would be willing to acknowledge. This book is not anti-Australia either - there is a love of Australia here - but it is a mature, honest love, analyzed thoroughly, and with a recognition of faults.
One of the comments I have seen about this book in social media, is a critique of the examination of identity being unusual or all consuming. I strongly disagree with this. I found the author's investigation of identity relatable, even as a white person who has experienced negligible prejudice. I grew up as an ex-pat which creates its own identity struggle, but from a reversed and more privileged perspective. There is a point in the book where Patel describes expats as 'glamorous', which I found amusing, but with the benefit of age I can appreciate. Indeed, my bullying at school came from not understanding how to be an Australian, even though I 'looked like one'. I particularly related to the line:
There is a scale of Australianess, and your place in it is defined by arbitrary factors, including your wealth, your arrival date and your skin colour.
Thank you Zoya Patel - I look forward to reading your next book!
I would strongly encourage all Australians to read this book as a stark wake-up call to what our nation is like for people of colour. And non-Australians should be reading it to understand the diversity of our national experience, as it is a more accurate depiction of modern Australia than most Australians would be willing to acknowledge. This book is not anti-Australia either - there is a love of Australia here - but it is a mature, honest love, analyzed thoroughly, and with a recognition of faults.
One of the comments I have seen about this book in social media, is a critique of the examination of identity being unusual or all consuming. I strongly disagree with this. I found the author's investigation of identity relatable, even as a white person who has experienced negligible prejudice. I grew up as an ex-pat which creates its own identity struggle, but from a reversed and more privileged perspective. There is a point in the book where Patel describes expats as 'glamorous', which I found amusing, but with the benefit of age I can appreciate. Indeed, my bullying at school came from not understanding how to be an Australian, even though I 'looked like one'. I particularly related to the line:
There is a scale of Australianess, and your place in it is defined by arbitrary factors, including your wealth, your arrival date and your skin colour.
Thank you Zoya Patel - I look forward to reading your next book!
June 26, 2021
Feminism has benefited enormously from an embrace of how colonialism and other forms of racism and capitalist economies interact. Patel's No Country Woman is a series of interconnected essays exploring her experiences with "hyphenated identities", migration, racism, animal rights and feminism - growing up from Fiji to Albury to Canberra. The collection provides a good understanding of Patel's experiences and perspectives. It has an inevitable twenty-something feel to the book - written by a woman just coming into a sense of identity, and I suspect it will find the most passionate readership in the same cohort.
July 30, 2023
Patel writes in a beautifully simple and direct style that is accessible and engaging. I found it very easy to relate to the issues she explores including the othering of migrants in Australia, race and identity, family, feminism and vegetarianism. Her personal experiences are simply told, never descending into 'poor me' or bitterness. I really liked the passion and honesty she displayed in her introspection on her life and the world around her. I didn't like sections/essays that were more academic or theoretically-based as they didn't sit comfortably with what is largely a memoir-based book. Over all it was a thought-provoking and enjoyable read.
October 27, 2019
I really wanted to love this book, but I just found it repetitive. While I can appreciate the authors struggle to fit in, having also being of an ethnic background, I could fully connect with her and her experiences as an immigrant in Australia. However, I couldn't help but feel that her plight was repetitive and bordering on whining after a while. I did enjoy her reflections of her childhood references to the 90s having also grown up in the 90s and her references to the struggles to balance the two conflicting cultures. But that was where it ended for me.
April 12, 2019
Struggled to put this one down. Zoya’s writing is incredibly engaging and she writes with such passion. Regardless of your background this is a must read. We can all do better when it comes to listening & supporting marginalised groups. I am a firm believer in reading & listening to people whose experiences differ greatly to our own - this is where our knowledge & learnings truly begin to develop.
July 30, 2019
I picked this book because of its title as I also have a mixed cultural background and have lived in different countries. Unlike Zoya I do feel like I belong. I found that the author criticises white people for thinking all Muslim Indian women are the same, but she seems to find all white women the same! I'm looking forward to hearing Zoya speak at the Mudgee Reader festival next month as I enjoyed reading about her life.
February 5, 2021
I really liked Patel’s writing style, I found it engaging and illustrative. Overall, I felt like the book was a bit disjointed. It read more like a collection of essays that was struggling to be tied together by one theme. I did find it to be an insightful read in regards to her experience with immigration and racism in Australian, as well as a brief introduction to the history of relations between Fiji and India.
December 5, 2018
Delightfully insightful! An exceedingly candid and accessible unpacking of issues of race, gender, religion and heritage as well as the complex space where they intersect. A handbook which taught me, a privileged white male, that sometimes the best action is to leave my voice out of it and let someone else's voice be heard.
March 28, 2019
I’ve been loitering around this book at work since we got it in stock, and I finally decided it was time to take it home. I was not disappointed. The way Patel articulates her thoughts, experiences and ideas is truly engrossing. I’m a firm believer that reading is a gateway to understanding the lives and experiences of others from different backgrounds. Do give it a read.
August 17, 2021
“No country woman” by Zoya Patel has been a very enlightening book for me. The way she talks about immigration, race and religion is very accessible. I had the chance to meet her and hear her talk and I can say that she is incredibly articulate.
I think that, even if you are not an immigrant yourself, chances are that you know one, so you’ll definitely get something out of this book.
I think that, even if you are not an immigrant yourself, chances are that you know one, so you’ll definitely get something out of this book.
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