Muddy People: A Muslim Coming of Age

This memoir is a collection of anecdotes from the perspective of an adolescent girl observing her immigrant family during the first decade of the 21st century. El Sayed documents the family’s move from Egypt to Australia and her travails in middle school and high school as she tries to balance her Muslim family’s expectations, her school goals and pop culture interests, her tussles with her siblings and her grandmother, and her parent’s illnesses and marital stresses.

The story’s swift movement between humor and distress, and the vivid personal bodily details are reminiscent in tone to David Sedaris tales of family life. But El Sayed’s voice is distinct, presenting a fresh view of modern girlhood and the difficulties in trying show more to please multiple well-intentioned people who hold very different expectations. show less

The proverb, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes” (which apparently has been traced back to the Cherokee) is iconic because the truth it encapsulates is undeniable. And, memoirs such as this from young Egyptian-born Sara El Sayed provide wonderful opportunities to walk, and thus better understand, the different life experiences of our fellow Australians.

If you are taken aback by the title, Muddy People, there is no need to be. It relates to a perceptive and recurring tie-back within El Sayed’s story narrative. She explains this upfront in her Author’s Note:

“…my father is on guard. He wants me to know the rules. We are Egyptian, after all. We are Muslim, after all. We are not white. My parents’ show more advice has always been a crucial part of my life. When I say ‘their advice’, I mean them telling me to do things and me doing them. Their rules govern how I live. Our culture governs how I live. The fact that I am an adult does not change this. There have been many rules over the years, some logical, some not. Sometimes they contradict one another. It means that sometimes things get a little messy. A little muddy.”

This may at first seem a little dour, but note El Sayed’s refreshingly blunt and candid tone. This translates into engaging and vivid recollections of pivotal events in her family’s lives within ruled-based chapters like ‘Rule #2: Good Girls Don’t Wear Bikinis’, ‘Rule #4: No Moving Out Without a Husband’ and ‘Rule #10: No Fighting With Your Brother’. And dare I say it, in spite of the overt double standards applied to the sexes within their faith and being the target of overtly racist remarks, her ability to draw out the ironic humour while interrogating the causes of conflict with great empathy and compassion for others. This alone makes Muddy People an appealing read. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2021/10/muddy-people-a-memoir-by-sara-el-sa... show less

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via LibraryThing in exchange for a review.

When I requested this book in a LibraryThing giveaway, I must admit that I didn't read the details well, because if I had realized that it was short stories, I probably wouldn't have requested it. I'm so glad that I overlooked that, though, because this was a good read for me. I'm not sure if short "stories" really works here, since they're non-fiction. Biographical vignettes, perhaps? In any case, the chapters build off each other and help you get a fuller picture of the protagonist, unlike many short stories, where you have a whole new setting, character, etc. to get used to in just a few short pages.

Sometimes memoirs feel clinical and cold, but this author show more has a gift for bringing warmth and life into her descriptions of people and situations. It's charming but serious when it needs to be. Even though each chapter is more or less stand-alone, the characters reappear throughout, so you get to know the author's family and friends. Overall it shows us the many of the difficulties and opportunities the author faced growing up as an immigrant in Australia but also the complex dance between parents and childrens' generations, more religious family vs. less religious family members, etc. Definitely worth the read. show less

Muddy People is a well-written, emotional glimpse into the struggles of growing up as in immigrant Egyptian-Australian child addressing body image issues, racism and islamophobia, and cultural differences as well as more personal family conflicts, trying to live up to the expectations and needs of parents whose own relationship is strained and falling apart. The writing style was straightforward, yet evocative, with short chapters contrasting the author's childhood and her adulthood caring for her father through cancer treatments. The complexities of the author's experiences and emotions were conveyed in a poignant and concise way. If I had one critique it would be only that at times it felt cut short or a little choppy. All and all a show more quick and enjoyable read. show less

Muddy People, by Sara El Sayed, is a memoir made up of a series of vignettes describing her childhood growing up in Australia after immigrating from Egypt. I occasionally wanted a more cohesive narrative, but even without that it is a powerful and compelling read about the challenges of navigating an unfamiliar culture, the tension between trying to fit in in a new country and adhere to parental expectations that have not adapted to the new country, and the experience of being other-ed repeatedly.

I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, in exchange for an honest review. A fresh twist on coming-of-age stories, this anecdotal memoir is told from the point of view of an Egyptian girl, whose family moves to Australia when she is young. The short chapters jump back and forth from her youth to the present (which finds her caring for her father during chemo treatments). El Sayed writes well, and unflinchingly, whether she's tackling her own mis-steps trying to fit in among her schoolmates (while also attempting to follow her family's many rules for her as a Muslim girl), or the differences and conflicts she notes between her parents.

Muddy People is El Sayed's memoir of growing up Muslim, mostly in Australia, though her family is originally from Egypt. The book is composed of vignettes that range in tone from sad to humorous, and they are not strictly chronological. The loose organization did not bother me, though there were anecdotes that were never followed up on, including a health crisis faced by El Sayed. Still, I enjoyed the conversational tone and ease with which El Sayed shares personal moments of her family life.