Hijab and Red Lipstick by Yousra Imran

​This book tells the story of Sara who recounts what it was like growing up as a young Muslim who moves from London to the Gulf states. Along with the culture shock of moving from the West to the East attitudes towards being female also change and also the way her father treats her as opposed to how he treats her brothers. The story is Sara’s struggle to come to terms with her rights being left in England and her fight to try and not dishonour her family whilst still trying to be a normal teenager.
 
When I read the opening pages of this book, I knew it was not going to be a lightweight book. Instead it packed every punch going. The book is brave and brash and so empathic to the main protagonist that you feel her pain, heartache and stubbornness throughout. As someone who feels worlds away from the story being told I now feel that I have lived in that world – if only within the confines of the pages of this quite amazing book.
 
I was terrified, shocked and enlightened and saw the world through a different pair of eyes. I loved it but felt uncomfortable reading parts of it due to the nature of some of the issues that were covered in it. I would be recommending this for readers 16+ just because of some of the issues that are explored.
 
I hope this writer writes something else as it was informative and educating as well as something that was way out of my comfort zone – well recommended! 

You can find out more about Yousra here

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