Safia Elhillo

Elhillo's novel-in-verse is a heart-rending story of grief, displacement, and nostalgia through the lens of one young woman's experience. Nima's voice is stunning, and Elhillo's deftly handles the complex ways that, in our own grief and hurt, we sometimes hurt the people we love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Make Me a World for providing me with a free digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A bookstagram friend recommended this to me for the anthology prompt for #QueerYourYear (one of the few recs my library actually had) and I am so glad they did!

First of all, I love the concept for this anthology, poems and essays by "Muslims who are women, queer, genderqueer, nonbinary, and/or trans." And there was a great line in the introduction , describing the writers included here as representing the "sheer cacophony of Muslimness." A fantastic line, and one I carried forward with me as show more I read, that shaped and enhanced my experience of the collection. The diversity of identities here is truly intersectional, not just along gender and orientation lines, but also immigrants from Muslim countries alongside American converts to Islam, Arab Muslims, Black Muslims, Muslims whose faith and identities are shaped by many languages and cultures.

I was delighted to find a few authors I was already familiar with in this anthology, as well as discovering a few new to me whose other collections I have now looked up and added to my endless to-read list.

I had so many favorites. From "An Introduction" by Sheena Raza Faisal:

my god wakes up with bed head
and sticky fingers, doesn't
want to go in to work today

From "Confession" by Leila Chatti

Truth be told, I like Mary a little better
when I imagine her like this, crouched
and cursing, a boy-God pushing on
her cervix

From "Any Other Name" by Khadijah Queen

I don't see any prophets around,
do you? If so, pass out my number
tell him I said what's up

where have you been all my life. I know it's a line
but people like familiar things
like fellow boring straight people

........

I love that this collection starts with the poetry and ends with a section of essays.

The sheer cacophony of Muslimness. This is an excellent introduction to it. show less

Halal if You Hear Me brings writing from Muslim women, queer, genderqueer, trans, and nonbinary people together in an anthology to celebrate the intersectionality of identity. It reinforces that there’s more than one way and there’s no right way to be Muslim.

The book is structured in sections, each titled by the Five Pillars of Islam. I liked the mix of poetry and essays. Some pieces were more striking than others. I was familiar with some of the writers (like Blair Imani, Hala Alyan, show more and Kaveh Akbar) but many were new to me which was great. I loved hearing from so many different voices. Overall, a fantastic exploration of gender, sexuality, race, and religion. Don’t miss this one! show less

This is a powerful and beautifully written coming-of-age novel that completely pulls you in. Samira has always been labeled the “bad girl” by her strict mother and judgmental community, and all she wants is a summer full of poetry, freedom, and fun in D.C. But when a damaging rumor spreads, her plans come crashing down and she’s left grounded and isolated. Through an online poetry forum, she connects with Horus, an older poet who finally seems to understand her—but their connection show more soon leads to a secret that threatens to upend her world.

This novel shines in how it explores identity, family pressure, and creative expression with raw honesty. Elhillo’s writing is lyrical and full of emotion, making you feel every bit of Samira’s longing, rebellion, and confusion. Much like the work of Jacqueline Woodson, Bright Red Fruit gives voice to a young person trying to find where she belongs and who she really is. Both authors use poetic language to explore how storytelling and self-expression can help teens navigate a world full of expectations and misunderstandings.

Samira’s journey is complicated, relatable, and deeply moving—a must-read for middle and high school students looking for books that feel real and give space to hard but important conversations. show less