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Muddy People: A Memoir
A hilarious, heartwarming memoir of growing up and becoming yourself in an Egyptian Muslim family.
Soos is coming of age in a household with a lot of rules. No bikinis, despite the Queensland heat. No boys, unless he's Muslim. And no life insurance, not even when her father gets cancer.
Soos is trying to balance her parents' strict decrees with having friendships, crushes and the freedom to develop her own values. With each rule Soos comes up against, she is forced to choose between doing what her parents say is right and following her instincts. When her family falls apart, she comes to see her parents as flawed, their morals based on a muddy logic. But she will also learn that they are her strongest defenders.
Soos is coming of age in a household with a lot of rules. No bikinis, despite the Queensland heat. No boys, unless he's Muslim. And no life insurance, not even when her father gets cancer.
Soos is trying to balance her parents' strict decrees with having friendships, crushes and the freedom to develop her own values. With each rule Soos comes up against, she is forced to choose between doing what her parents say is right and following her instincts. When her family falls apart, she comes to see her parents as flawed, their morals based on a muddy logic. But she will also learn that they are her strongest defenders.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2021
20 people are currently reading
2566 people want to read
About the author
Sara El Sayed
5 books21 followersSara El Sayed is an Egyptian-born Master of Fine Arts student living in Brisbane. Her research focus is digital storytelling by migrant Egyptian women. Her work, both fiction and nonfiction, is influenced by her culture, her family and her identity as a migrant.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
July 26, 2022
I have read Muddy People by Sara El Sayed as a member of the North Wales Library ARC. We will meet with the author remotely on the evening of July 28, 2022. She is in Australia and our group is in North Wales Pennsylvania. The power of ZOOM. WOW!
Unfortunately, I cannot attend the discussion and instead post this review and comments.
The book is a young adult, coming of age, bildungsroman memoir about a young Egyptian girl growing up in Queensland Australia. As most memoirs it was written in the first person. This gives the author the easiest way to write what she was thinking and feeling and not just what she and others said. Just like Melville's Moby Dick and Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, each written in the first person, you remember the outline of the story, but what you will forever remember is how Captain Ahab and Paul Baumer felt. As time passes we will forget some of El Sayed's stories, but because of her clear, concise writing we will remember her feelings.
Now the book is anything but all serious, in fact, most of the time it is comical. Especially when she first arrives in Australia, all the stores are closed and her father wants to buy food(pg.s 17 and 18). I found myself laughing out loud. I can't remember the last time I read a book and laughed out loud.
The book sometimes seems like it is written as parables. There is a story, the story has meaning, the meaning is subject to interpretation. She was growing up muddy, which in my thinking means how she grew up is not a clear path, many rules and feelings but often conflicting.
I especially liked her maternal grandmother, Nana, who lived with Sara's family. She was an independent thinker, a muslin woman's rights advocate and feminist.
It is hard for me to imagine all the problems, a woman--an arab--a muslin and an immigrant to a lily white society not long after 9/11. She came of age and kept her identity in tact.
There were rules, standards, guidelines and ways of doing things imposed by her family, friends, government and society, but she showed us to have a full life with meaning we have to find our own way.
I rate it 5 stars.
Unfortunately, I cannot attend the discussion and instead post this review and comments.
The book is a young adult, coming of age, bildungsroman memoir about a young Egyptian girl growing up in Queensland Australia. As most memoirs it was written in the first person. This gives the author the easiest way to write what she was thinking and feeling and not just what she and others said. Just like Melville's Moby Dick and Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, each written in the first person, you remember the outline of the story, but what you will forever remember is how Captain Ahab and Paul Baumer felt. As time passes we will forget some of El Sayed's stories, but because of her clear, concise writing we will remember her feelings.
Now the book is anything but all serious, in fact, most of the time it is comical. Especially when she first arrives in Australia, all the stores are closed and her father wants to buy food(pg.s 17 and 18). I found myself laughing out loud. I can't remember the last time I read a book and laughed out loud.
The book sometimes seems like it is written as parables. There is a story, the story has meaning, the meaning is subject to interpretation. She was growing up muddy, which in my thinking means how she grew up is not a clear path, many rules and feelings but often conflicting.
I especially liked her maternal grandmother, Nana, who lived with Sara's family. She was an independent thinker, a muslin woman's rights advocate and feminist.
It is hard for me to imagine all the problems, a woman--an arab--a muslin and an immigrant to a lily white society not long after 9/11. She came of age and kept her identity in tact.
There were rules, standards, guidelines and ways of doing things imposed by her family, friends, government and society, but she showed us to have a full life with meaning we have to find our own way.
I rate it 5 stars.
August 29, 2021
Memoirs by young people are often unsatisfying, based on such limited life experiences, but El Sayed brings depth to hers. She recounts her experiences as a young Muslim in Queens with simplicity and candour. But beyond the simplicity lie significant cultural truths about a country of settlers who occupied an already settled land but who now struggle with the implications of accepting other immigrants. Though El Sayed's stories are very personal, they carry enough universality to nudge white Australians to evaluate their own responses to "outsiders".
May 8, 2022
This book is relatable to other Muslim women that have grown up in the western world and felt a sense of ‘identity crisis’. I empathised with Sara, I laughed with her, I felt joy for her. I saw myself in her. I love how she beautifully tied in her father’s notes of wisdom of faith and the unique bond they shared.
April 3, 2022
Lots of potential from this emerging Australian writer. Some parts really resonated with me. I feel like this book was a general overview of migrant life, perhaps if she chose only a few themes to explore she wouldve been able to delve deeper and make more meaningful observations.
December 18, 2022
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via LibraryThing in exchange for a review.
When I requested this book in a LibraryThing giveaway, I must admit that I didn't read the details well, because if I had realized that it was short stories, I probably wouldn't have requested it. I'm so glad that I overlooked that, though, because this was a good read for me. I'm not sure if short "stories" really works here, since they're non-fiction. Biographical vignettes, perhaps? In any case, the chapters build off each other and help you get a fuller picture of the protagonist, unlike many short stories, where you have a whole new setting, character, etc. to get used to in just a few short pages.
Sometimes memoirs feel clinical and cold, but this author has a gift for bringing warmth and life into her descriptions of people and situations. It's charming but serious when it needs to be. Even though each chapter is more or less stand-alone, the characters reappear throughout, so you get to know the author's family and friends. Overall it shows us the many of the difficulties and opportunities the author faced growing up as an immigrant in Australia but also the complex dance between parents and childrens' generations, more religious family vs. less religious family members, etc. Definitely worth the read.
When I requested this book in a LibraryThing giveaway, I must admit that I didn't read the details well, because if I had realized that it was short stories, I probably wouldn't have requested it. I'm so glad that I overlooked that, though, because this was a good read for me. I'm not sure if short "stories" really works here, since they're non-fiction. Biographical vignettes, perhaps? In any case, the chapters build off each other and help you get a fuller picture of the protagonist, unlike many short stories, where you have a whole new setting, character, etc. to get used to in just a few short pages.
Sometimes memoirs feel clinical and cold, but this author has a gift for bringing warmth and life into her descriptions of people and situations. It's charming but serious when it needs to be. Even though each chapter is more or less stand-alone, the characters reappear throughout, so you get to know the author's family and friends. Overall it shows us the many of the difficulties and opportunities the author faced growing up as an immigrant in Australia but also the complex dance between parents and childrens' generations, more religious family vs. less religious family members, etc. Definitely worth the read.
August 21, 2023
Thank you to my biggest Goodreads fan for buying me this book ❤️
August 16, 2022
This was our July NW Library book group book and we were able to meet with and talk to the author on ZOOM last night (July 27, 2022). She was from Australia, also Egypt, and at times said that she was also considered to be African. It was a memoir told in the first person about the people in her family. I laughed alot at some of her descriptions of the people in her family, etc. Her Nana was my favorite as she was an independent thinker and didn't care about all of the rules the Muslims had to follow. Sara the author told it like it is...how it felt to be "different" being an immigrant and not "fitting in". At times the book was choppy but I felt the story had to be told as it was a coming of age story about a young immigrant and her family. I recommend this story especially for junior high and above. The ZOOM session was fabulous and informative as she was in another country all the way around the world and we were able to converse and see her. Excellent ZOOM meeting. Edie N.
January 25, 2023
I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Muddy People is El Sayed's memoir of growing up Muslim, mostly in Australia, though her family is originally from Egypt. The book is composed of vignettes that range in tone from sad to humorous, and they are not strictly chronological. The loose organization did not bother me, though there were anecdotes that were never followed up on, including a health crisis faced by El Sayed. Still, I enjoyed the conversational tone and ease with which El Sayed shares personal moments of her family life.
Muddy People is El Sayed's memoir of growing up Muslim, mostly in Australia, though her family is originally from Egypt. The book is composed of vignettes that range in tone from sad to humorous, and they are not strictly chronological. The loose organization did not bother me, though there were anecdotes that were never followed up on, including a health crisis faced by El Sayed. Still, I enjoyed the conversational tone and ease with which El Sayed shares personal moments of her family life.
December 19, 2021
The proverb, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes” (which apparently has been traced back to the Cherokee) is iconic because the truth it encapsulates is undeniable. And, memoirs such as this from young Egyptian-born Sara El Sayed provide wonderful opportunities to walk, and thus better understand, the different life experiences of our fellow Australians.
If you are taken aback by the title, Muddy People, there is no need to be. It relates to a perceptive and recurring tie-back within El Sayed’s story narrative. She explains this upfront in her Author’s Note:
“…my father is on guard. He wants me to know the rules. We are Egyptian, after all. We are Muslim, after all. We are not white. My parents’ advice has always been a crucial part of my life. When I say ‘their advice’, I mean them telling me to do things and me doing them. Their rules govern how I live. Our culture governs how I live. The fact that I am an adult does not change this. There have been many rules over the years, some logical, some not. Sometimes they contradict one another. It means that sometimes things get a little messy. A little muddy.”
This may at first seem a little dour, but note El Sayed’s refreshingly blunt and candid tone. This translates into engaging and vivid recollections of pivotal events in her family’s lives within ruled-based chapters like ‘Rule #2: Good Girls Don’t Wear Bikinis’, ‘Rule #4: No Moving Out Without a Husband’ and ‘Rule #10: No Fighting With Your Brother’. And dare I say it, in spite of the overt double standards applied to the sexes within their faith and being the target of overtly racist remarks, her ability to draw out the ironic humour while interrogating the causes of conflict with great empathy and compassion for others. This alone makes Muddy People an appealing read. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
If you are taken aback by the title, Muddy People, there is no need to be. It relates to a perceptive and recurring tie-back within El Sayed’s story narrative. She explains this upfront in her Author’s Note:
“…my father is on guard. He wants me to know the rules. We are Egyptian, after all. We are Muslim, after all. We are not white. My parents’ advice has always been a crucial part of my life. When I say ‘their advice’, I mean them telling me to do things and me doing them. Their rules govern how I live. Our culture governs how I live. The fact that I am an adult does not change this. There have been many rules over the years, some logical, some not. Sometimes they contradict one another. It means that sometimes things get a little messy. A little muddy.”
This may at first seem a little dour, but note El Sayed’s refreshingly blunt and candid tone. This translates into engaging and vivid recollections of pivotal events in her family’s lives within ruled-based chapters like ‘Rule #2: Good Girls Don’t Wear Bikinis’, ‘Rule #4: No Moving Out Without a Husband’ and ‘Rule #10: No Fighting With Your Brother’. And dare I say it, in spite of the overt double standards applied to the sexes within their faith and being the target of overtly racist remarks, her ability to draw out the ironic humour while interrogating the causes of conflict with great empathy and compassion for others. This alone makes Muddy People an appealing read. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/...
January 31, 2022
If you are looking for a cute Aussie memoir to add to your list, look no further than Muddy People!
Muddy People is a very candid and entertaining memoir by Sara El Sayed, a young Egyptian Muslim woman who grew up in Australia. Her story telling is light and simple, but the cultural truths and implications of the overt racism and 'otherness' that she and her family have faced in this country really tug at the heart strings. She has a strained relationship with her father, with some of the cultural expectations of women, and with her sense of belonging in Australia. However, she beautifully scrutinised how all of these things have influenced her to understand, accept and reinforce her identity.
There were some aspects of this book I could relate to with respect to my ethnic upbringing, though less traditional and religious. However, as a white woman, this book was an opportunity to for me to stand back and understand my privilege. It was an especially disturbing reality for me that Australian patriotism is underpinned by the sense of entitlement by settlers who occupied an established foreign land, but now alienate and struggle to accept other immigrants like Sara's family, the 'muddy people'.
Muddy People is a very candid and entertaining memoir by Sara El Sayed, a young Egyptian Muslim woman who grew up in Australia. Her story telling is light and simple, but the cultural truths and implications of the overt racism and 'otherness' that she and her family have faced in this country really tug at the heart strings. She has a strained relationship with her father, with some of the cultural expectations of women, and with her sense of belonging in Australia. However, she beautifully scrutinised how all of these things have influenced her to understand, accept and reinforce her identity.
There were some aspects of this book I could relate to with respect to my ethnic upbringing, though less traditional and religious. However, as a white woman, this book was an opportunity to for me to stand back and understand my privilege. It was an especially disturbing reality for me that Australian patriotism is underpinned by the sense of entitlement by settlers who occupied an established foreign land, but now alienate and struggle to accept other immigrants like Sara's family, the 'muddy people'.
August 19, 2022
Sara El Sayed’s memoir Muddy People about her Muslim family moving from Egypt to Australia sounds like a compelling premise. The book’s subtitle designates it as a “coming-of-age” tale, and it definitely covers both sad and funny anecdotes about her growing up. El Sayed also recounts memories that deal with the prejudices and stigmas she experienced as an immigrant trying to fit in. However, this memoir comes off a tad dull and laborious, which often made the anecdotal lessons she shares less engaging. The memoir’s structure does not follow much of a chronology, often moving back and forth in time. This would not prove an issue if the stories themselves had more emotion and flow. Overall, this memoir was okay, but not entirely memorable.
September 4, 2022
This is the quickest book I’ve read! I could not put it down. It was an easy read and I loved learning about Sara’s life experiences
August 7, 2022
A creative non-fiction memoir Egyptian-Australian style. A good addition to the Australian migrant literary canon.
December 8, 2022
PLEASE READ THIS BOOK ITS SO SO SO GOOD.
November 25, 2022
The book opens with Sara El Sayed saying that both her parents are good people, but they just weren't good for each other. In not one scene is her father portrayed as a good man. His selfishness and sexism are perhaps the biggest themes in the book.
The title 'Muddy People' perhaps refers to their muddy relationship with Islam. El Sayed doesn't pray and refuses to attend the mosque. Sharia law does not work in her favour, and there is a sense of resentment for it throughout. Yet at no point in the book does she stop identifying as Muslim, and at the very end her partner even converts to Islam so they can get married without displeasing her father! She does not miss the opportunity to point out that this is not expected of her brother, who has been with his white, non-Muslim partner for 10 years.
As a narrative, it read like a flat, meandering, and mildly resentful version of Good Muslim Boy. The audiobook is peppered with prolonged and poorly placed pauses. Still, it was interesting to read about someone who grew up in Brisbane not long before I did, but in a fractured Muslim family. I had naively assumed that Muslims did not get divorced, and that all Muslim women dressed to cover up.
The title 'Muddy People' perhaps refers to their muddy relationship with Islam. El Sayed doesn't pray and refuses to attend the mosque. Sharia law does not work in her favour, and there is a sense of resentment for it throughout. Yet at no point in the book does she stop identifying as Muslim, and at the very end her partner even converts to Islam so they can get married without displeasing her father! She does not miss the opportunity to point out that this is not expected of her brother, who has been with his white, non-Muslim partner for 10 years.
As a narrative, it read like a flat, meandering, and mildly resentful version of Good Muslim Boy. The audiobook is peppered with prolonged and poorly placed pauses. Still, it was interesting to read about someone who grew up in Brisbane not long before I did, but in a fractured Muslim family. I had naively assumed that Muslims did not get divorced, and that all Muslim women dressed to cover up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2023
“warm, sweet, and a bit nutty.” (alice pung’s blurb) a darkly funny recounting of a Muslim childhood in Australia w a heaping of family drama.
fabulously un-chronological and fragmented like PAGEBOY. loved this.
fabulously un-chronological and fragmented like PAGEBOY. loved this.
September 22, 2023
Audio book. Easy to listen too and an interesting autobiography.
July 18, 2022
I liked the loose style of this memoir and really got the feeling of what it was like to grow up Muslim in a community that did not always welcome Muslims.
September 21, 2024
I chose this book from three others to read for a uni course. I normally stick to fiction and so I was very tentative going into it, but now finished, I believe it to be one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read.
The writing was deeply personal, and the authors’ ever changing relationships with her family and friends were perfectly portrayed. The book was engaging and warm, at times showing an honesty unseen in most areas of non-fiction. It was interesting to read about the migrant journey, and the experiences of those involved.
Would recommend this to anyone.
The writing was deeply personal, and the authors’ ever changing relationships with her family and friends were perfectly portrayed. The book was engaging and warm, at times showing an honesty unseen in most areas of non-fiction. It was interesting to read about the migrant journey, and the experiences of those involved.
Would recommend this to anyone.
June 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this debut creative non fiction coming of age story by Sara El Sayed, “Muddy People”. Sara immigrated to Australia when she was six years old with her family and this book explores the different expectations and feelings about family and identity. Very raw and written in a moving personal nature. Excellent read. #creativenonfiction #bookstagram #amreading #muddypeople many thanks to @greystonebooks for the gifted copy.
June 17, 2022
" I returned to my room and pulled my diary out from under the mattress. I was embarrassed, now, that I have ever thought this was a good hiding spot. But I had thought there was such a thing as a good hiding spot in this family."~pg.49
•
" the thought of bringing a boy home to my family as a team made me physically ill. But that didn't stop me from wanting to do so. I always wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend. It might never be possible, but at least it was okay to wonder."
~pg.193
•
🌿
Thoughts ~
An impactful coming of age read about family and belonging.
I enjoyed this one! Love a coming of age story more than anything, in a memoir even better! Sara El Sayed story is filled with humor and heart as she shares of growing up in a strick Muslim household, and the struggles her and her family dealt with after emigrating from Egypt to Australia. She navigates trying to fit in as a Muslim in a predominantly white population, of friendships, and family traditions and realizing her parents have flaws. So much of her journey hits hard, especially her fathers illness.
Thank You to @greystonebooks for sending me this book opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
" the thought of bringing a boy home to my family as a team made me physically ill. But that didn't stop me from wanting to do so. I always wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend. It might never be possible, but at least it was okay to wonder."
~pg.193
•
🌿
Thoughts ~
An impactful coming of age read about family and belonging.
I enjoyed this one! Love a coming of age story more than anything, in a memoir even better! Sara El Sayed story is filled with humor and heart as she shares of growing up in a strick Muslim household, and the struggles her and her family dealt with after emigrating from Egypt to Australia. She navigates trying to fit in as a Muslim in a predominantly white population, of friendships, and family traditions and realizing her parents have flaws. So much of her journey hits hard, especially her fathers illness.
Thank You to @greystonebooks for sending me this book opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
September 13, 2021
'My mother was engaged to another man before marrying my father. When I ask her about it, she says, "he was handsome. A dentist. A very handsome dentist.'' Maybe if Mama married a very handsome dentist instead of Baba, I would have had better oral health, an my nickname would not be Soos.' -p24
'It made me nervous, the way he kept asking the students to do things instead of ordering them. As if they could say no and that would be that.' -p27
'She told me he would come on three conditions. 'The first,' she announced, 'is that I prove I'm a good Muslim.' She said this as if it was reasonable. As though she might record herself praying five times a day. Skype him at fajr, zuhr, asr, maghrib abd isha. Or do a medical test. Surely the Good Muslim gene was detectable in her blood. Hereditary maybe.' -p35
;There's something about men,' Nana has said to me, 'that makes me hate them. They are bossy. They are controlling. They are rude. They say one thing and they do another. They make rules for you and then follow none of them. They are hypocrites. They take, they take, they take, and give you nothing but headache. Men are pigs, all of them. Don't get married, if you can help it.' -p57
'Aisha was at the irritating age of six, where she was young enough to want Mama with her all the time, but old enough to hit me in the face in a way that really hurt.' -p135
'Sadness is different. Sadness is not sharp. It's heavy, the way it sits on your chest, filling your throat every time you try to breathe. Sadness is not understanding how to get up.' -p168
'You can't go through life not doing things out of fear of upsetting your father, you know. I will tell you now, you will upset him. Everything you do will upset him. You have to be prepared for that.' -p174
'Egyptians say el shatra tighzil birrigl homaar, which means a smart girl can knit even if all she has is a donkey's leg.' -p191
'My mother says, 'If there is one thing. in life I have learned, something I will never lose faith in, it's this: if it weren't for money, marriage wouldn't exist. If women had money, there would be no need for husbands. They would be on their own. And they would be happy. And that is a fact.'' -p211
'It made me nervous, the way he kept asking the students to do things instead of ordering them. As if they could say no and that would be that.' -p27
'She told me he would come on three conditions. 'The first,' she announced, 'is that I prove I'm a good Muslim.' She said this as if it was reasonable. As though she might record herself praying five times a day. Skype him at fajr, zuhr, asr, maghrib abd isha. Or do a medical test. Surely the Good Muslim gene was detectable in her blood. Hereditary maybe.' -p35
;There's something about men,' Nana has said to me, 'that makes me hate them. They are bossy. They are controlling. They are rude. They say one thing and they do another. They make rules for you and then follow none of them. They are hypocrites. They take, they take, they take, and give you nothing but headache. Men are pigs, all of them. Don't get married, if you can help it.' -p57
'Aisha was at the irritating age of six, where she was young enough to want Mama with her all the time, but old enough to hit me in the face in a way that really hurt.' -p135
'Sadness is different. Sadness is not sharp. It's heavy, the way it sits on your chest, filling your throat every time you try to breathe. Sadness is not understanding how to get up.' -p168
'You can't go through life not doing things out of fear of upsetting your father, you know. I will tell you now, you will upset him. Everything you do will upset him. You have to be prepared for that.' -p174
'Egyptians say el shatra tighzil birrigl homaar, which means a smart girl can knit even if all she has is a donkey's leg.' -p191
'My mother says, 'If there is one thing. in life I have learned, something I will never lose faith in, it's this: if it weren't for money, marriage wouldn't exist. If women had money, there would be no need for husbands. They would be on their own. And they would be happy. And that is a fact.'' -p211
September 9, 2021
Ahhh what a gorgeous memoir! I always have a hard time reviewing memoirs but I can confirm that I loved reading this one. I really enjoyed how it was split into different sections by rules that had to do with the chapter you were reading and the mixture of past and present as she cares for her father going through cancer treatments. As reader and author we share very different upbringings and cultures but I was able to relate to many childhood experiences Sara wrote about which were purely human and shared by many I’m sure! Sara shares many personal stories in here, including her strained relationship with her father, but her writing has so much kindness that you can feel the love she has for her whole family. Overall this was a gorgeous read and has reminded me how much I love memoirs!
February 9, 2022
Picked this book up to see if I would like it.
Basically I could not put it down.
Finished it in about 24 hours!
A very well-written, entertaining - and riveting - account of growing up in a culture other than the one you were born into, the latter of which carries restrictions not compatible with the new culture you are immersed in and must deal with.
It will resonate with most women and girls - and with anyone who has ever been a teenager who ever experienced any insecurities.
In fact, if you’ve EVER had to work out how to fit in - in a class, at school, at work, in a family, community or neighborhood - pretty much anywhere in life - you’ll find it exquisitely relatable.
A winner by @sarakelsayed !
Basically I could not put it down.
Finished it in about 24 hours!
A very well-written, entertaining - and riveting - account of growing up in a culture other than the one you were born into, the latter of which carries restrictions not compatible with the new culture you are immersed in and must deal with.
It will resonate with most women and girls - and with anyone who has ever been a teenager who ever experienced any insecurities.
In fact, if you’ve EVER had to work out how to fit in - in a class, at school, at work, in a family, community or neighborhood - pretty much anywhere in life - you’ll find it exquisitely relatable.
A winner by @sarakelsayed !
September 3, 2021
It's a memoir of Sara growing up in Egyptian Muslim family in Brisbane, Australia.
I read this book in one sit on one Saturday during the lockdown after the news announced that NSW hits number of 800+ for covid19 cases.
This #memoir written by @sarakelsayed helps enlighten my Saturday. The writing ✍ is just so simple, flowing naturally, and oh goodness 😆... the wittiest memoir I ever read, made me LOL.
🔖
I always love to read memoir from people of different culture or backgrounds, there's always thing to reflect about me as immigrant living in this country; good and bad, satisfying and disappointing.
Definitely a #recommendedbook #recommendedreading for this year.
I read this book in one sit on one Saturday during the lockdown after the news announced that NSW hits number of 800+ for covid19 cases.
This #memoir written by @sarakelsayed helps enlighten my Saturday. The writing ✍ is just so simple, flowing naturally, and oh goodness 😆... the wittiest memoir I ever read, made me LOL.
🔖
I always love to read memoir from people of different culture or backgrounds, there's always thing to reflect about me as immigrant living in this country; good and bad, satisfying and disappointing.
Definitely a #recommendedbook #recommendedreading for this year.
November 7, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this memoir, it’s always great when you read something that is relatable and that makes you reflect back on your own childhood and upbringing. I love the way it was written, with rules that the author had to follow, some of which, my parents also had as rules. Interspersed, were snippets about her father and mother. I loved her grandmother and wanted more of her. It was a great read.
‘Sadness is different. Sadness is not sharp. It's heavy, the way it sits on your chest, filling your throat every time you try to breathe. Sadness is not understanding how to get up.’
‘Sadness is different. Sadness is not sharp. It's heavy, the way it sits on your chest, filling your throat every time you try to breathe. Sadness is not understanding how to get up.’
August 21, 2021
I read an extract of this book in the paper last weekend and it intrigued me. I have now read it and am glad I did. I enjoyed the story of a young Muslim girl growing up in Queensland who also struggles with her friendships and family relationships. The different chapters follow her relationship with her mother and father and the rules of the household. Well written as it transports you to her world and some definite commonalities for any female growing up
September 2, 2021
As a migrant to Australia I could relate to many of the situations described by the author. It helped me to revisit some of the ‘strangeness’ of a new country. It is as she describes a series of anecdotes that capture her journey and adoption of a new home. It also gave me an insight into the harshness of how we treat those who are viewed as ‘different’. I am grateful for her gentle acceptance of her journey and of the lessons we all have to learn as a community to embrace others.
September 29, 2021
I loved this book. Sara writes with honesty, humour and at times great pathos. She reveals the hardships she encountered at school and in life generally without ever feeling sorry for herself, though as a reader I felt great empathy for her. A good insight into the problems migrants have adapting to the Australian way of life, and the pressures created for young people. Beautifully written.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
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