5-stars for this memoir about finding and using your voice--a book that anyone who has ever been silenced will appreciate and be inspired by.

I had a hard time relating to Ms. Zaman and the story in general. The writing style was also not for me, it seemed unnecessarily complicated.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.

This is a true story of one woman fighting to have her words heard. Reema Zaman is fighting to be heard above the noise and to free her voice. This is her story in her words.

Reema describes her life from childhood through the writing of I Am Yours. She offers a very vulnerable telling of her struggles, including anorexia, her parents troubled marriage, and assault. Reema shares many of her flaws and past failures for reflection and growth.
I was not expecting to like I Am Yours as much as I did. I read it in just a matter of days. The description does not accurately portray the contents of the book. It is wholly Reema's memoir. Readers can relate to her experience with many of her interpersonal relationships. It is concerning that she touches on her anorexia many times, but never addresses seeking help. At times she can be narcissistic, but many of us are at times. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

I just really could not get into book, I tried to read it several different times but just couldn't do it.

I loved this lyrical book which brought many emotions and senses... about the growing up of a young girl, her thoughts, her feelings and what she did to find her own strength and her own place in a difficult life. Written with brilliance this book is one to reflect on and savor each phrase - like " A song makes words sticky "". or "" I have so many thoughts, flying like hummingbirds in my head"". With each age there is wisdom gained and the emergence of an extraordinary women.

"I Am Yours" is a well-written and interesting memoir. Reema Zaman has had a diverse range of experiences. As a Bangladeshi woman raised in a Muslim culture, and who spent many years as a child in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as other parts of the world, she has an upbringing and experiences that many Americans cannot relate to it, especially a white male Christian such as myself. Readers who are minorities, women, or immigrants will likely see many similarities between themselves and the author in terms of common experiences for members of each group. However, the author's story includes elements that all of us can relate to, such as navigating family relationships, navigating romantic relationships, dealing with disappointment and loss, and trying to find one's place in the world, among other things.

The memoir is also tough to read at times because Ms. Zaman has experienced sexual harassment and multiple episodes of sexual assault and she has experienced significant emotional neglect and abuse. Her description of her childhood and relationship with her father displays a man who loves his daughter, but who has trouble expressing that love. Reading about her marriage will likely make the reader frustrated and upset. Her husband seems to complement her well at first, although there are warning signs, but it does not take long before he is revealed as immature, insecure, and very emotionally abusive. Chronicling his behavior would provide enough material for a master class on emotional abuse. I wanted to wrap her up and tell her that she was worthy and wonderful and deserved so much better than what she was receiving. [Of course, when a person is in that situation, they finds ways to rationalize the behavior or believe they can help the abuser change, or other false hopes, which makes it so hard to escape an abusive relationship]. I wanted to grab her husband and knock some sense into him; although that would not be an appropriate or effective response. Thankfully, her inner voice eventually becomes loud enough and she realizes, "I am enough as I am. I don't want to merely endure anymore." The way the marriage ends is both wonderful and infuriating at the same time.

What is particularly remarkable and inspiring is that Ms. Zaman is not looking for pity or sympathy or revenge in recounting the trauma she has experienced, but recognizes that for her, everything she experienced has served a purpose ("I've had to live exactly as I have. Every wound, character, experience, and skill has been used, to fill into my purpose.") Which is not to say that the abuse she experienced was "appropriate", "justified", "should have happened" or anything like that; rather, Ms. Zaman has found a way not to let herself drown in the horrible things she has experienced, but instead has gathered lessons and insight from those experiences into who she is and how she can use her voice to speak out on behalf of herself and others. In the end, Ms. Zaman has figured out how to live as her authentic self, a daunting endeavor.

There are many great statements in the book, but one of my favorites is: "All I have ever wanted, my love, is for every person to speak their truth, but not at the expense of speaking over another, or at the risk of being spoken over."

The best part of the memoir is the year she spends living with her mother, stepfather, and at times, younger sister, while writing this book. They are concerned about her need to write the book she plans to write, but they are also loving and supportive. Her mother and stepfather, who she calls "Dad", display the love, care, affection, respect, etc. that should epitomize a marriage. In writing the book, Ms. Zaman reframes her relationship with her father and they begin to have the conversations that have been years in the making, resulting in a better understanding of each other and a closeness that has long been absent. Which is not to say that Ms. Zaman has "perfect" relationships with her parents. My favorite part of the book is when Ms. Zaman starts working as a part-time reading aide at the school where her mother teaches. Ms. Zaman displays and witnesses love, kindness, acceptance and the powerful effect those actions and emotions can have on young lives. If the stories of Lyon and Jacob don't make you tear up and smile at the same time, you are heartless.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

Reema Zaman narrates her life story through the perspective of an imaginary childhood friend. She discusses her mother's upbringing, the places they moved and traveled to, and what happened after she became an adult and got married. Many of the challenges she faced as relatable, from being bullied, to finding mentors, to being assaulted, and how loving her children strengthened and changed her. A nice treat is observing the author's different perspectives as she grows.

I enjoyed reading this book because it discusses the journey of life and the many blessings and hardships faced on the journey. I loved how she described the love of her children being her motivator and giving her an intangible inspiration towards life and growth. What I enjoyed most was seeing a woman grow and having the courage to use her voice and tell her story despite the judgement that could come with discussing touchy subjects such mental illnesses or abuse of power. I would recommend this book to a friend.

I Am Yours was a wonderful debut of a talented author. I found her life story just as engaging as her writing style. Her work brought to life and expression the themes that many women go through in intimate relationships and for that reason, I was able to really relate to her message. She will touch a lot of people with her writing.

A shared memoir about the revolution of women taking back their voice and finding their space in the world and claiming it with abandon.

It wasn’t for me, I couldn’t keep my interest in this book. Maybe other readers would enjoy it, it just felt a bit overdone to me.

Bloody good book, bloody hard work to be reading it. Seriously.

Good thing I can see when I downloaded this book from Netgalley, because that was in November of last year. And now, it being first half of July, I finally finished it. Pffff. I had put it down several times, it was only after the first 23 percent that the story gained speed and somehow lured me into reading more than a few pages - not wanting to quit like I had before because the story was so hard, real heavy on my heart.

Beautifully written, poetical and lovely lines to remember. I've highlighted and bookmarked loads of this book.

I don’t usuay read memoirs, but I’m glad I read this one. It is a beautiful, moving story. The author takes you through her life in such a marvelous way, you can almost experience it yourself. A great book, definitely worth it to pick it up.

This is an extraordinary memoir describing the events that make up the life experience for the author up until now. She has had a unique experience, different from many of us that is interesting to hear. Her strength is evident within the lines of her own story and so important with the ongoing inequality between people in society.

#IAmYours #NetGalley

A memoir about someone's life. Her struggles and accomplishments that led up to the writing of her book.

This is a beautiful memoir, I was hooked from the beginning by the writing. The author is raw and cynical at times, but she tells her story beautifully. While she comes from a fairly privileged life, she has a message that resonates with everyone. I enjoyed this memoir and will recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This memoir makes the voice of the Zaman full of twists and turns of life. It's quite difficult to read until it's finished because I found a lot of things that aren't fair here. But in the end I was able to read it to completion.
Illusions, friends who are dreamed of and all problems are described sternly. This is typical of a writer who is full of bitter but honest. The truth and lies are portrayed quite thinly and that disturbs the reader. The inspiration in this memoir is quite piercing and surprising. It is an honor to read the Zaman’s story. This is writing is full of narration and identity.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I fought car sickness to read this for several hours on a road trip (both ways) and ignored classwork in my hotel room later so I could stay up, lose sleep and read it some more. This memoir is poetry. Reema's writing is poetry. The poem in the beginning, not so much (that was kind of cringe-worthy, to be honest), but the story itself, absolutely. Everyone keeps using the word "lyrical" to describe this, because it is.

Obviously, a writer can't address it ALL. Reema comes from a high place of privilege in many ways: easy and plentiful international travel, private school liberal arts education (full-time annual cost for Skidmore, at this point, is now up to almost 70k/YEAR), a connected social circle and the light skin of the upper class of her culture - BUT STILL... she makes her personal understood quite clearly, and there's plenty to speak to a lot of women here.

I'm not entirely sold on it being a "voice" for everyone, however, for these same reasons, and like others I was initially a little put off by how focused she was on being "beautiful" - though this is typical for women who feel forced to subscribe to stereotypical social standards of beauty and that, too, is part of this story, and of many women's stories. Finding self-love IS, In THIS particular way, so many of our stories - and by encouraging others to address and speak of the unique challenges of being who we are, by hearing each other, we can find some common ground.

I thought this was a really wonderful story. Zaman shares her story with us. It has that smash the patriarchy feel. What women do to conform to societal norms. I found her writing beautiful. And i recommend this book!

I read this book and while I feel there were some good things to be found in this book, this was not the book that speaks to my soul that the author had been searching for.

The author has has an interesting life and I enjoy her trying to show and give love to everyone. I at times found her arrogant and unlikable. I also felt her hurt at times especially when she was with her ex-husband.
I am giving this book 3 stars because I feel there are people out there who will love this book. I thought it was just okay.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.