Book Review: Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen by Amrou Al-Kadhi

What about if we are trying to go beyond the traditional definition and assignment of genders? If we allow people to be what they really want to do, without further ado?

I am very grateful lately for the impressive amount of books - many of them memoirs - exploring the Muslim identity. Especially for an outsider as me it enlarges significantly the perspective and gives space to a deeper understanding of misunderstood and marginalized on purpose identities.

Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen by Amrou al-Kadhi - which I had as an audiobook read by the author - is a story about the discovery of drag as a space to experiment with gender for a young Iraqi-born, British-bred Muslim. Assigned a role in Spielberg´s Munich at 14, in the role of a terrorist´s son he often felt imprisoned by his race, religion and cultural heritage. A curious kid looking for attention, especially his mother´s, navigating the gender segregation of his upbringing, Amrou had to redefine more than one identity.

Race and heritage felt like a prison for a long time, until he learned, through lots of failures and disappointments and dramatic encounters - sexual as well. The author of The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen was strong enough to build up a life he expected to, in Britain. 

He is a fine observer of his own evolution, with all the intricacies and drama that breaking up with your past, which includes your manipulative parents and relatives, only in order to start anew once he was able to come to terms with his own identity - gender-related, Muslim, human being. Ironic, self-ironic, tragic, Amrou al-Kadhi is able to assign to each life stage and episode its own tone and momentum. This creates a multiplicity of voices reflected into the story which are gathered together into Amrou al-Kadhi´s unique personal account.

I like the author´s voice and genuine honesty and this literary encounter encouraged me to continue this year my searches on topics like queer and Muslim identity. I am thankful to live in a time when such topics can be easily associated and the experienced shared to wider audiences.

Rating: 3 stars