New Release+Review: Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim by Leah Vernon

Shelly's Book Corner received a review copy from Amazon Vine and voluntarily provided an honest review. This does not affect the opinion of the book or the content of the review.

A searingly honest memoir of one young woman's journey toward self-acceptance as she comes to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hope and chooses to live her life unapologetically.

Ever since she was little, Leah Vernon was told what to believe and how to act. There wasn't any room for imperfection. Good Muslim girls listened more than they spoke. They didn't have a missing father or a mother with mental illness. They didn't have fat bodies or grow up wishing they could be like the white characters they saw on TV. They didn't have husbands who abused and cheated on them. They certainly didn't have secret abortions. In Unashamed, Vernon takes to task the myth of the perfect Muslim woman with frank dispatches on her love-hate relationship with her hijab and her faith, race, weight, mental illness, domestic violence, sexuality, the millennial world of dating, and the process of finding her voice.

She opens up about her tumultuous adolescence living at the poverty line with her fiercely loving but troubled mother, her deadbeat dad, and her siblings, and the violent dissolution of her 10-year marriage. Tired of the constant policing of her clothing in the name of Islam and Western beauty standards, Vernon reflects on her experiences with hustling paycheck to paycheck, body-shaming, and redefining what it means to be a "good" Muslim.

Irreverent, youthful, and funny, Unashamed gives anyone who is marginalized permission to live unapologetic, confident lives.

Review

I’m not really a fan of biographies or memoirs but something about this Leah Vernon person made me want to read. Maybe it was the cover? The title? The blurb? Who knows? But I am so glad I took a chance because this was a very good read. The author was raw, explicit, honest and kept it all the way real with their story.

I am not Muslim but I was able to relate to this author when it comes to religion and certain expectations. I think anybody who struggles with body issues and finding their beauty within can really learn something from this book as well. I loved how it touched on the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

I must say this book will make some people uncomfortable and that is one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much. This book also had me doing some reflecting, nodding my head in agreement and highlighting passages as I read. I can’t tell you the last time I highlighted in a book. I love when a book can stop and make me think and I can use this motivation in my everyday life. Well done, Leah Vernon.