'Heartbreaking and funny.' Ross Gay'This book fell into my heart.' Sabrina Mahfouz'The kind of authentic voice that is rarely heard.' Saima Mir'The Colour of God is a fascinating read, not because it tells the story of one woman's journey from "subjugation" within a puritanical sect of Islam to finding "liberation" by taking off her veil, but because it refuses and interrogates these facile labels.' Monica AliThe Colour of God is the heartfelt story of a South Asian child raised in Canada, born to parents who embraced a puritanical version of Islam to shield their family from racism. Fusing grand historical narratives of colonialism and migration with the small, intimate heartbreaks of modern life, Ayesha S. Chaudhry examines the joys and sorrows of growing up in a fundamentalist Muslim household. A crisis of faith, brought on by the sudden death of a loved one, leads her to re-examine the beliefs and ideals she was raised with. Combining Western, South Asian and Qur'anic storytelling styles, Chaudhry illuminates what it means to exist in a world that demands something different from each of her identities. She weaves her personal experiences with incisive social commentary with lyrical prose and scholarly precision, inviting us to reimagine our ideas of self and family, state and citizenship, and love and loss.
At 23, Ayesha Chaudhry removed her face veil to begin her studies in New York City. Combining Western, South Asian and Quranic storytelling styles, Chaudhry weaves her personal experiences with incisive social commentary to uncover the meaning of faith and belonging, love and betrayal, family and womanhood. In so doing, she offers us a vision of freedom that isn't measured in fabric. Chaudhry is a Professor of Gender and Islamic Studies at the University of British Columbia.