Reading Yassmin's Story

I've just finished re-reading Yassmin's Story: Who Do You Think I Am? You read that right...I re-read it. This is one of the fastest reads I've had in a long time. In this memoir, 24-year-old Yassmin tells of her experiences as an immigrant to Australia from Sudan. Her experiences are magnified by the fact that she is a Muslim woman who chooses to wear the hijab.

I was drawn to the book by the power of Yassmin's personality and her diverse "identities". As Yassmin says, she has "the privilege and blessing of taking on multiple identities." At the mere age of 24, Yassmin has an impressive and diverse resume. She is a mechanical engineer/supervisor on an oil rig.

In the prologue, Yassmin describes her refuge, the helideck. She says "I'm sitting on the helideck in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of kilometers away from any land. It's the dead of night, the only time I find peace and the chance to be alone on an oil rig..."

OKAY, hold on.  I want to take a moment to really think about where Yassmin finds refuge. She finds it on the helicopter deck of her oil rig.  To fully appreciate this, you may need a visual. This is a photo of an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean.

Source

Yassmin can share her experiences in a candid, easy style. She shares on a granular level how her parents' lives were changed by the overthrow of the democratic government. She shares what led them to leave their family, home, and country.  

She identifies with several minority groups, but not always at the same time. She is a woman. She is African-Australian. She is Muslim. She is a woman engineer. She is a woman supervisor on an oil rig, which is still a predominately male field of work.

Yassmin shares observations of different forms of bias and oppression that affect Muslim women in western society. She shares this without bitterness. She gives what can be considered an alternate point of view of Islam and women's choices and freedoms. Acknowledging that there are women around the world who are oppressed and that some of these women happen to also be Muslim, Yassmin explains, "But their Islam is not the cause of their oppression; the cause is usually the regime they are in, their economic circumstances or the patriarchal environment and culture." 

Yassmin's story is uplifting. It's an "I can if I think I can" story. She can share her perspective of societal norms that may need to be challenged. At the same time, she shares so much gratitude for her life. She is grateful to both parents for their sacrifices that included leaving their country to ensure a better life for her and her brother. She is grateful for a stable childhood and she is grateful for her privilege of having a good education. She is grateful for the "...privilege of having a stable job, the privilege of wealth that allows me to access technology, food, and media freely..."

It was a pleasure to read this young woman's positive outlook and positive accomplishments. It's eye-opening to see and understand more clearly how systems appear to someone with a different point of view. It is refreshing to be reminded of the gifts of privilege that often goes unacknowledged. 

If you read this memoir, I hope you share your thoughts with me. 

Cheers!

~Kimberly

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

D's New Place

We spent Easter weekend with Danielle at her new place. I took several pics with my Smart-phone that I'm sharing here. I'm starting to think it may be time to upgrade to my camera phone.

So, to set the scene...a two-hour drive to her place was an all-day affair for us. I took the day off work, so it was a vacay day for me, which meant I wanted to sleep in, which I did. I woke up and realized we were getting a later start than I planned. 

Reading About a Tiger Heart

I've been reading again. This book was a joy and a very quick read. The book is Tiger Heart, by Katrell Christie and Shannon McCaffrey. 

The Synopsis

Katrell Christie shares her story of India. The book opens and we are right in the middle of the action. Katrell receives a phone call that is more of a summons with an intimidating directive. "The Indian Defense Minister wants to see you. Be here in twenty minutes."

This is how Katrell begins to tell her story of how she came to be in India and how she came to be summoned by the Defense Minister. 

Katrell has an eclectic list of snippets that she used to describe who she is. It's interesting to see the list that she chooses as her quintessential definition of herself. My favorite snippets include the fact that she skated competitive Roller Derby. --That right there impresses me. I've watched Roller Derby...I've been to a Roller Derby and marveled at their speed and grit.

Another favorite is that she once made a living going to Italy to buy art for a client. And she opened her own tea shop. (Though she says she prefers coffee.)

Lastly, she says "And on a restless whim, I took a trip to India."

I was hooked right away. This woman has a heart for adventure. How does one go from what she calls a "spontaneous jaunt" to India to sitting with the Defense Minister? As Katrell says, the trip turned her life in a new direction.

I was in the perfect place to read about an adventure to India. I think because my yoga practice has me thinking about Sanskrit I've been visualizing the country. 

Katrell began her adventure by joining a friend on a work mission. Her friend is working with the women that create pearl necklaces. Their goal is to teach women how to turn their work into a sustainable business.  This ends up being a very small part of Katrell's trip. She finds other ways to become involved. 

One of my favorite scenes is when Katrell first arrived in India she is alone. She will be meeting her friend in another city in a few days. She decides to take a train to Varanasi, the holiest of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Katrell chose this as her destination based on the photos in her Lonely Planet book. --I'm telling you, I believe this woman and I could be friends.

When she arrived at her hotel in the middle of the night, she asks the hotel owner for tips on local sights. He answers with "Before dawn, follow the orange."

And so, Katrell ventures out (before dawn) to find and follow the orange. First, she sees one monk dressed in a traditional orange robe and she sets out to follow him. As she begins to follow the monk a crowd grows and she is "swept up in a sea of orange." To avoid any spoilers, I will simply tell you that Katrell's pilgrimage that morning is richly rewarded. 

When Katrell joins her friend working with the women who string pearls, she decides to volunteer at the school. It does not take long for Katrell to fall in love with the people she is getting to know. 

Katrell candidly shares her experience that grew into a huge part of her life. One that she has championed beyond her story. Through her telling, I fell in love with the people whose lives she touches and whose lives touched hers. I highly recommend this read.

One last thing, Katrell told her story with the help of Shannon McCaffrey. I don't want to minimize McCaffrey's contribution. This was the first opportunity I had to read any of McCaffrey's work and I found her writing to be completely beautiful. I speak of Katrell throughout this post because the book is told from her point of view and it is really her story. Together, through the magic of collaboration, the story is told beautifully.

Have a great weekend!

~Kimberly

I received an early copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

A Little Catching Up

How lovely was today? It was still chilly here but with a beautiful blue sky. I took the pic below from my porch today. It's the same view I've posted before. I know it isn't that different but today, I felt that the bright sunny day was especially cheery.

One of the things that I love about living here is that we can appreciate the lovely landscape without the work.