Sara’s Reviews > The Henna Wars > Status Update

“It doesn’t seem like much. But sometimes just being yourself - really, truly yourself - can be the most difficult thing to be.”

“I mean what I love about Bengali culture is much more than henna or the food, but those are things we can share here meaningfully.”

"If Ammu and Abbu aren't going to accept me, that's fine. If the girl I have a crush on is going to compete against me using my own culture, that's fine too. But I'm tired of being ashamed. My choice is clearly laid out in front of me. I'm going to choose me."

"The choice she wants me to make isn't between being gay and straight, its between them and me. Who do I choose?"

“It’s funny that Flavia and I are from such different parts of the world but our parents have the same philosophy. They shifted us halfway across the world, risking our culture, putting us in the middle of two nations and giving us an identity crisis, all because they believe it gives us more opportunities.”

“It’s just that I’m not sure I would want to go back to Bangladesh permanently, or even semi-permanently. Aside from the fact that being gay there is punishable by death, I’m also not sure where I would even fit in. I don’t fit in here, but would I fit in there any better? I don’t think so.”

"I had no reason to doubt that she was; taking my hand at the wedding was nothing. Straight girls do that all the time. That's why being a lesbian is so confusing."