About this item
"We did not stay in our houses. Not in the way our grandmothers had, or our mothers. We went out a little more and veiled ourselves a little less," begins this coming-of age memoir. Suffused with love, humor and compassion this poignant story gives an intimate glimpse into a traditional Muslim community that has to balance the rules of Islamic orthodoxy with the freedoms and innovations of the Westernized modern world. The narrative follows the history of a community in Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka) that in the late 19th century, breaks with the traditions of the time to give girls a secular education and permission to go out of their homes. Before long, such independence and exposure to foreign ideas brings heartbreak to many families as their daughters move away from the customs that had once been the norm.
About the Author
Yasmin Azad was among the first group of girls in her Muslim community to go away from home to pursue a university degree. After obtaining a degree in English, she moved to the United States. Living mostly in the Boston area, she worked for over two decades as a mental health counselor. Her memoir Stay, Daughter, draws on her experiences growing up in a close-knit, conservative society which, when it gave more independence to women, had to deal with the challenges of modernity. It is also informed by an understanding derived from her work as a counselor in the West, that the breakdown of traditional family values and structures comes with its own challenges, especially for women. Her writing has been published in Solstice Literary Magazine, and The Massachusetts Review.
