Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad with Lori L. Tharps

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Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad with Lori L. Tharps


                I love the Olympics and while I am a fan of the Winter Olympics, I absolutely adore the Summer Olympics. I monitor all of the events, medal counts and carve out the time to watch my favorite events. Fencing is nowhere near the top of that list. If it’s on and I happen to turn to it fine, but I never go out of my way to watch fencing. I couldn’t even name an athlete that played fencing. Until I saw Ibtihaj Muhammad and then my interest was piqued. I wanted to know more about her, the woman competing in a hijab. I kept my eye on her performance during the Olympics and was excited to see the team medal. And I never forgot that there was a young woman, who competed in a hijab representing the United States during what felt like an extremely divisive time. When I saw that this book was available I jumped at the chance to know more about her.
                Proud tells the story of Ibtihaj Muhammad, her family and what drove her to compete in fencing since the age of twelve. I was engaged throughout this memoir. I’m not Muslim, but I am an African American woman who can relate to many of the experiences she describes throughout the pages. But I can’t deny that the differences in my experiences and hers are largely related to the fact that she is a Muslim woman who chooses to wear a hijab. It’s an act of faith that some people ignorantly feel is a threat. It has led to discrimination throughout her life both inside and outside of her sport. I admired watching her persevere even though she knew that she was being discriminated against.
                I really enjoyed this memoir. It is well written and extremely honest. Muhammad emphasizes throughout her memoir what it means to her to be a Muslim African American woman and I loved that she spoke so passionately about what that means to her. I love that she didn’t shy away from how she has been treated and how it has spurred her on to become an activist and to speak out against discrimination. In a time when people still have to stress the importance of representation, I am glad that Muhammad has embraced what her identity means to so many others who look at her and see themselves. I definitely recommend this and give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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