Heir to the Crescent Moon
by Sufiya Abdur-Rahman
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Pub Date Nov 15 2021 | Archive Date Nov 15 2021
University of Iowa Press | University Of Iowa Press
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Description
In Heir to the Crescent Moon, Abdur-Rahman’s longing to comprehend her father’s complicated relationship with Islam leads her first to recount her own history, and then delves into her father’s past. She journeys from the Christian righteousness of Adam Clayton Powell Jr.’s 1950s Harlem, through the Malcolm X–inspired college activism of the late 1960s, to the unfulfilled potential of the early 1970s Black American Muslim movement. Told at times with lighthearted humor or heartbreaking candor, Abdur-Rahman’s story of adolescent Arabic lessons, fasting, and Muslim mosque, funeral, and Eid services speaks to the challenges of bridging generational and cultural divides and what it takes to maintain family amidst personal and societal upheaval. She weaves a vital tale about a family: Black, Muslim, and distinctly American.
Advance Praise
“It’s a marvel the way Abdur-Rahman blends cultural criticisms and reflections on media into a memoir about the stories we inherit and choose to tell. With quick prose and stunning insight, she skillfully widens intimate family portraits into histories of the American Civil Rights movement. She captures the challenges and triumphs of keeping faith in an ideology, keeping faith in our loved ones. Heir to the Crescent Moon is a deeply personal account of learning to navigate the limitless possibilities of being Black and Muslim and a woman.”—Donald Edem Quist, author, Harbors
“In swift, stunning passages, Abdur-Rahman’s brilliant memoir, Heir to the Crescent Moon, fearlessly and honestly recounts what it is to inherit religion, to embody wisdom, to protect love, and to assume the immeasurable role of daughter.”—Susan Steinberg, judge, Iowa Prize for Literary Nonfiction
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781609387822 |
| PRICE | $16.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 218 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Justine F, Reviewer
Heir to the Crescent Moon
Full feature for this title will be posted at: @queensuprememortician on Instagram!
Julia S, Reviewer
Wonderful! I need a print copy. I liked the attention that the author gave to her parents' story, for it is integral to the history of Islam in the USA.
Reviewer 877300
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
A well-written book that everybody should read. I found the story enlightening and written in a way that helps all readers understand the complexity of the story. Even though I have had no previous contact with the Muslim culture, I felt enraptured by the book.
Aneta W, Reviewer
I usually don't read any non-fiction. For me, books are means to relax, to forget about the world, and find my peace and quiet between the pages. Anyway, I decided to try something besides my comfort zone. And? It was magnificent.
At first, I have to say that this is eye-opening. I have never thought about what Black American Muslin has to feel and how they are life. As a European, I have a different point of view and my life standard is totally different so it is hard to compare, but this book shows the reality in a way I would never imagine.
For me, it is not only about religion - it is more about finding yourself. Not only as a muslin but also as a young American girl who has to decide who she is and what is her destiny. This journey is beautiful, cause it is true. I felt it in every single world.
This book is so fresh, with so much wisdom. It is important to know more before judging, to speak with humility about the things that are even not fully understood for us, but still respected.
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