[A] jubilantly intelligent and quintessentially human and optimistic book, one that is fundamentally important in a dangerously polarized and divided time ... I don’t agree with everything she says...and also worry that some on the right will see this roar for reason as a response to what they dismiss as identity politics. But it’s so much more profound and nuanced than that, and thus so much more significant ... What Manji is really offering is the sacrament of empathy, and pleading with us to understand the transformative and transcendental capabilities of change ... I would say that change is always possible, that we need to listen properly to criticism before responding, must try to reply with courtesy to those who attack us, strive to see yourself in them, and see them in you. I think that my old enemy and new friend Irshad would agree with that. Good Lord, I am so glad she wrote this book.
Manji brings a fresh voice to the interpretation of Islam. She’s an educator and philosopher, author and advocate, a Muslim and a lesbian ... Although Manji ponders such deeply divisive subjects as Black Lives Matter and homophobia through the slightly precious construct of talking to her deceased dog, Lily, it is nonetheless an apt device for the larger conversations she champions in the hope that society can evolve to bridge its divides and abandon its labels.
A passionate, playful and persuasive argument for rejecting dishonest diversity—the categorizing that fixates on biology (white, black, male, female, LGBT, straight, etc.)—and its attendant and unforgiving call-out culture 'where asking the wrong question gets you slammed.'
Manji’s plea for unity is laudable and well-articulated. Those seeking a level-headed approach to reaching common ground will find Manji and Lily’s conversation instructive.
