Editors Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi

Remember how when you’re young they tell you to follow your passion and pursue your dreams? Later, all that gets lost as practical considerations intervene and guide our lives.

I took this year off to focus on my twin passions – my son and my book – and the unfolding has been surreal & blessed. Yesterday, advanced readers reached out to tell us that after reading the stories, they finally felt like they had a home within the ummah, that they were no longer alone.  Today, the New York Times featured the anthology. Tomorrow, it ships to the thousands of people who pre-ordered it, prompting our publisher to print the second edition before the first even hit bookstores.

You create and work on something close to your heart and then release it into the world, where it takes on a life of its own. So very proud of the 25 brave and sassy women who dared to write the truth about their lives and share it with the world.

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