Shelf Life Book Club: Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H | July 17th

A casual, friendly book club where we discuss this month's book, hosted by Rosie from Shelf Life Books and Zines.

Our next meeting will be held in the back seating area (indoors, by HATW/Vin Van Cymru) and we'll be discussing Hijab Butch Blues by Lamya H. Here's the blurb:

When Lamya is fourteen, she decides to disappear. It seems easier to ease herself out of sight than to grapple with the difficulty of taking shape in a world that doesn't fit. She is a queer teenager growing up in a Muslim household, a South Asian in a Middle Eastern country.

But during her Quran class, she reads a passage about Maryam, and suddenly everything shifts: if Maryam was never touched by any man, could Maryam be... like Lamya? Written with deep intelligence and a fierce humour, Hijab Butch Blues follows Lamya as she travels to the United States, as she comes out, and as she navigates the complexities of the immigration system - and the queer dating scene. At each step, she turns to her faith to make sense of her life, weaving stories from the Quran together with her own experiences: Musa leading his people to freedom; Allah, who is neither male nor female; and Nuh, who built an ark, just as Lamya is finally able to become the architect of her own story.

Raw and unflinching, Hijab Butch Blues heralds the arrival of a truly original voice, asking powerful questions about gender and sexuality, relationships, identity and faith, and what it means to build a life of one's own.

All attendees will have 15% off the book at Shelf Life and we have paid-forward copies available for anyone who needs one (the solidarity ticket option helps do this). We want our book club to be accessible everyone so please let us know if you have any access needs and we'll do everything we can to accommodate them. If you're nervous about attending  (we get it!) for the first time, feel free to pop into the Corp for a look around beforehand, message for more info about the club/location or drop us a message if you'd like to meet at the bar on your way in.

See you there!