New Books About Mental Health

I adored Laila Lalami’s The Moor’s Account. It’s one of my favorite pieces of historical fiction. So when I heard she was publishing a collection of essays, I knew I needed to get a hold of them as quickly as possible. Lalami’s essays examine her experience of moving to the US from Morocco to pursue the American Dream. She’d heard so much about the success one could achieve in America. But when she finally got here, and as she followed her path to U.S. citizenship, she began to rethink her initial assumptions. She starts to think that the American Dream is really only available for certain kinds of immigrants. Lalami is an incredible prose stylist with such sharp observational skills. I love how she crafts each essay to be its own unique gem, but they all add to the overarching theme of the collection.

Samra Habib grew up as an Ahmadi Muslim in Pakistan, eventually fleeing violence against people from their sect and finding refuge in Canada. At first, Habib thought that all their problems might be solved, but in their new country, they faced racism and Islamophobia. And as they grew up, they began to realize that they weren’t exactly straight. Habib writes their memoir with no fear of presenting themself as a messy, very flawed human being. They work through their sexuality and faith throughout their story, eventually coming to a place that works for them. Their story doesn’t end wrapped up in a pretty bow. Instead, it’s more untidy, glorious in its own imperfections. This is a queer memoir unlike anything I’ve ever read and definitely worth your time.