Stay Daughter by Yasmin Azad

Stay Daughter by Yasmin Azad 


Stay Daughter by Yasmin Azad is published on 30th March 2023 by Swift Press.
My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and Anne Cater at Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the Book Tour.


Synopsis

We did not stay in our houses. Not in the way our grandmothers had, or our mothers. 
We went out a little more and veiled ourselves a little less…  
Suffused with love, humour and compassion, Stay, Daughter gives an intimate glimpse into a traditional Muslim community that has to balance the rules of Islamic orthodoxy with the freedoms and innovations of the Westernized modern world. 
The memoir follows the history of a community in Sri Lanka that, in the late 19th century, breaks with the traditions of the time to give girls a secular education and permission to go out of their homes.
 Before long, such independence and exposure to foreign ideas brings heartbreak to many families as their daughters move away from the customs that had once been the norm.
 Although the book tells the story of a single family, it draws on a situation that almost all Muslims struggle with as they negotiate a changing world where women are no longer who they used to be.





My Review

Yasmin's story gives an interesting and, at times heartbreaking, insight into what it was like for a muslim girl growing up in Sri Lanka when the influences, and freedoms, experienced in Western Society were affecting how some Muslim girls viewed the cultural restrictions that were imposed on them.
I found this a very thought provoking read as there were many aspects I found highly commendable within their culture, including the way that families, both close and extended, were supported and looked after throughout their lives.
Yasmin, in a lot of respects, was fortunate that she was in a forward thinking environment as her Umma and Wappah did allow her to play with Penny, a Christian of Dutch Burgher descent and spend time with her family taking part in their Westernised activities until she was 12 years old. However, when she suddenly had to go " indoors" at the age of twelve I was heartbroken for her as it must have felt like being imprisoned with all the restrictions she then experienced, plus losing her best friend, whilst trying to fit in with the requirements of the Muslim way of life.
Fortunately, for Yasmin, she was allowed to continue her education at her all girls school and I was so excited for her when her parents did agree to let her go to University.
One of the thoughts I will take away from this book is how lucky Yasmin was to have the parents she had, as they both wanted the best for their daughter.
This is a book that should be on reading lists everywhere and one I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to read. Definitely a 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read



About the Author

Yasmin Azad was among the first group of girls in her Muslim community in Sri Lanka to go away to university. Soon after obtaining a degree in English from the University of Ceylon, she moved to the United States, where she worked for over two decades as a mental health counsellor. Stay, Daughter draws on her experiences growing up in a close-knit, conservative society which, when it gave more independence to women, had to deal with the challenge of reconciling the rules of Islamic orthodoxy with the freedoms and innovations of the modern world.

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