The story of an Iraqi woman growing up in Kentucky. Lots of culture clashes and some political discussion. I love memoirs of women so this was perfect for me.

Memoirs are a favorite genre for me, especially when they exist outside of my normal realm, and yet find ways to be relatable. It reminds me that while we all have different life experiences, we are still connected through common human experiences.

Ayser was born in Iraq, then lived in Ohio and Kentucky, then moved to Saudi Arabia, then back to Kentucky, and finally found her home in Los Angeles. She discusses the challenges of melding her Arabic traditions with her newfound American culture, and how this impacted her throughout her life. Her experience of being at “the wrong end of the table” is one that we have all related to at one point or another in our lives, and shows that human experiences are similar regardless of our backgrounds or upbringings.

I loved this book! Salman offers a unique and fresh perspective in the humorous memoir category that is often lacking diversity. Salman is relate-able in her memoir and at no point was I desiring to skip ahead!

Ayser Salman has found herself at the wrong end of the table for years, having straddled many - and seemingly disparate - identities. Born in Iraq, Ayser moved to the US at the age of three along with her family who sought to escape Iraq’s fascist and authoritarian regime. Ayser and her siblings grew up in Lexington, Kentucky; a town with few Arabs and foreigners at the time. In her memoir, Ayser recounts the challenges of growing up in a homogenous American town as the child of immigrants. Her parents, while highly educated and enthralled by Americana, are rather traditional and conservative, though the intensity declines with time. As a result, Ayser, who is hellbent on assimilating, finds it challenging to live life as a typical American girl. In her memoir, Ayser shares funny anecdotes about her life and how she has changed from wanting to assimilate to reconciling her dual identities as an American, Iraqi and Muslim. Hers is an interesting account as she is in her forties and immigrated to the US decades ago. In general, most of the information concerning American Muslims centres on those who have recently immigrated (in the last two decades, maybe) as opposed to long-established Muslim immigrants (which dates back to the 19th century and even further in some cases). It’s quite interesting to read about Ayser’s experiences in Kentucky and Saudi Arabia (where she spent part of her adolescence); it’s a fascinating juxtaposition.

If you are looking for a humourous look into the life of a moderate Iraqi-American Muslim, this could be the book for you. I certainly enjoyed reading about Ayser’s life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Skyhorse Publishing, and Ayser Salman for the privilege of reading this title prior to its publication.

It’s not often you come across a memoir that’s both entertaining but also educational. Reading this was like having an extended chat with a friend, covering every subject under the sun. My only issue was the number of footnotes and how much additional information was found there.

I LOVED this book! I requested this as an ARC because I was attracted to the humor it promised (and it delivered!), and because i wanted to learn more about the author's culture. I really really want to sit with a cup of tea and chat with Salman!
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A funny charming not to be missed book! It's informative about the life of an Iraqi/Muslim-American immigrant and her experiences. Ayser Salman recounts her life from the time her family immigrated from Iran to Kentucky to Saudi Arabia, then back to the US to escape from the regime of Saddam Hussain. Ayser wanted to be like normal American kids but she was always the weird lesbian girl, which she isn't a lesbian. She was called all sorts of names but you'll need to read the book to understand them and the story behind them. In the book, she talks about overcoming her insecurities and becomes an independent member of society. She still kept the balance between Muslim traditions and regulations set by her parents and society.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I quite enjoy this book as it bought back memories of my childhood (as a displaced migrant after WW2 to another country, with no English and eggplant sandwiches for lunch a school)
I love the little footnotes at the end of each chapter, although it did call for a some flipping backwards and forward in some places. And I found the first two thirds of the book interesting in the experiences especial the years in Saudi.
The last part of the book was a little harder to get through, as it got kind of bogged down, and the footnotes did not have that edge to them, but all in all it was an interesting book to read. The re- awakening of memories shows there isn't a lot of difference in times or nationalities, although I think this book shows these days people are more tolerant, curious or maybe more polite than in the 1950s

A fun, charming read that was informative about one Muslim-American immigrant experience. I generally quite enjoyed it.

First, I rather enjoyed this book.

Ayser tells us her story broken down in to three parts, each part detailing a different period in her life. Ayser talks of her assimilation in to American (and then Saudi) life and the challenges and successes along the way. The book is both humorous and insightful - as someone who also moved around a lot growing up I could very much relate to the process of acclimatising to a new place.

I will say that there was a lot of repetition, especially for such a book under 300 pages. This kind of pulled me away from the narrative a little as I wasn't sure why I was hearing that she went by "Lisa" instead of Ayser for the 3rd time in 20 pages and it interrupted my reading experience somewhat.

A worthy own voices read and one that I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Skyhorse for this ARC in trade for an honest review.

Funny and not to be missed!

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.