Staff Picks: I am Yours: A Shared Memoir by Reema Zaman

Choose to experience this memoir in audio format and you will have a treat. The author's voice creates a deep intimacy between writer and audience. Her story addresses coming of age and feminist themes. She speaks for all women finding their voices and emerging out of the constraints imposed by culture, tradition, and religion. Other themes tie in to the #MeToo movement: distorted body image and anorexia, the prison created by beauty and sexual attractiveness, and abusive relationships. It is a riveting story; she portrays her life journey (till the age of 30) and the people closest to her with fairness but also excruciating honesty.

Reema was born in Bangladesh but spent time with her family in Thailand and Hawaii before coming to the States as an 18-year-old and seeking a career as actor and model. Her father was an economist with the U.N. Although she was privileged and went to the best schools, her parents were locked in a relationship that was oppressive to her mother, which became her legacy, when she chose the men in her life. Writing was a constant theme in her life. The diaries where she poured out her thoughts and feelings were the streams and rivulets that fed this book which is like a torrent that begged for release. 

Reviewed by Emily O

Rating: 10/10

Check out the eBook or eAudio on Overdrive, or place a hold here.