September 15

I Give You Authority: Practicing the Authority Jesus Gave Us by Charles H. Kraft

August 24

I don’t naturally gravitate to memoir (I’m not sure why, but apparently this is the summer of reading them anyways!). But First Comes Marriage was so expertly woven that if I hadn’t met one of the characters in real life several years ago, I might ha I don’t naturally gravitate to memoir (I’m not sure why, but apparently this is the summer of reading them anyways!). But First Comes Marriage was so expertly woven that if I hadn’t met one of the characters in real life several years ago, I might have forgotten this was memoir. It’s not an arranged marriage story, but definitely not your typical American love story either. Typical is overrated!
Since I did not grow up in an Iraqi-American family, I loved the inside look at not only Huda’s upbringing, but also how her perception of that upbringing changed over time. I also loved the peeks into the variety and diversity of Muslim American experiences throughout the story.
My Christian readers will appreciate Huda’s conservative background, even if our own teenage and young adult years looked different. And you’ll appreciate also the struggle between culture and faith, between identifying how God wants us to live and the rules and expectations of society and culture and family. Those of us who have struggled to find a healthy view of sexuality post-purity culture will appreciate Huda’s struggle as well.
I think I was most impressed with the vulnerability and honesty Huda applied to her reflections on her past self. And I love the hope at the end of the story. “True love” and a healthy marriage aren’t dependent on having some flashy story, or even having the romance before the wedding. Love is a choice.
I laughed out loud, I cried (when you get to the parts about the students in the Internado and especially how they changed Huda’s home life you’ll see what I mean), and at the end of the day, I think if Huda and I met, we’d be friends. ...more