Book Review: If They Come For Us

If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ever since I heard that Fatimah Asghar had a book on the way, I was ecstatic. I am a huge fan of hers from her Emmy-nominated webseries Brown Girls, and now I have another reason to love her. If They Come For Us is a beautiful book with stories about war, womanhood, sexuality, religion, identity, race, family, etc. But most importantly, it is a story about us. The story of South Asian-American women. It’s my story. The history she talks about in this book, is the history of my family, the identity crisis she faced growing up in the United States, is my identity crisis. The struggles with womanhood, beauty, and culture she talks about in this book, are my struggles. It is so rare for me to find a book where my story is being told. This is the reason I became a writer. I also love how she finds a way to intertwine tragedy and humor in this book. Humor is not often found in South Asian-American literature, but is often found in our lives and our homes. This book felt like home. My favorite poems were Oil and Microaggression Bingo. Oil, for it’s poignant truthfulness of the moment her existence became a danger to the country she grew up in on 9/11. Microaggression Bingo for its humor. Although I read this book in one sitting, it is not a book to read once and put away. Whenever I feel invisible in this country as a South-Asian American woman, I can pick up this book and feel less alone. I could go on and on about this book, but I’ll stop here. Although I could personally relate to this book, it has something for anyone and everyone from all walks of life. Go read it now!

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