By turns trenchant, painful and amusing, Sarsour’s memoir is packed with hard-learned lessons from the front lines of the social-justice struggle. It’s a book that speaks to our times, tackling issues of racial injustice, economic inequality, criminal justice reform, the surveilling of Muslim communities and the shortcomings of white feminism. Its strength lies in its discussion of intersectional activism as an answer to the rise of the illiberal far right, with well-documented examples of how intersectionality has served to bring about real change ... We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders is a tribute to the tenacity and fearlessness needed to stand against injustice.
That at the outset Sarsour addresses her jihad and hijab—two things that are essential to her identity yet are weaponized against her—reveals the author’s decision to use the book as an opportunity to set the record straight and to respond to the backwardness of the current political climate wherein Arabic words are demonized, women’s clothing choices are a battleground, and the very humanity of Muslims, and particularly Palestinians, is too often dismissed. And yet, the writing does not come off as preachy thanks to the storytelling, which weaves together the personal and the political with coming-of-age anecdotes and present-day struggles. The underlying theme that runs throughout the first two thirds of the book—that 'Muslims are good people, too'—is painfully simple albeit understandable given the backlash the author and her communities have experienced.
In this unforgettable memoir, Women’s March co-organizer Sarsour paints a vivid portrait of her life as an activist ... An incredible, galvanizing story of the power of participation.
Candid and poignant, this book offers an intimate portrait of a committed activist while emphasizing the need for more Americans to work against the deep-seated inequalities that still haunt the country. A powerful memoir from a dedicated fighter for social justice.
Civil rights activist Sarsour, cochair of the Women’s March on Washington, seeks to 'shatter every stereotype... of Muslim women' in this tough, score-settling narrative ... Ultimately, Sarsour’s passionate memoir powerfully captures a unifying moment of social protest.
