My Past Is a Foreign Country: A Muslim Feminist Finds Herself

'A brave new voice that reaches out to us all' Miranda Doyle, author of A Book of Untruths

28-year-old Zeba Talkhani charts her experiences growing up in Saudi Arabia amid patriarchal customs reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, and her journey to find freedom in India, Germany and the UK.
Talkhani offers a fresh perspective on living as an outsider and examines her relationship with her mother and the challenges she faced when she experienced hair loss at a young age.

Rejecting the traditional path her culture had chosen for her, Talkhani became financially independent and married on her own terms in the UK. Drawing on her personal experiences Talkhani shows how she fought for the right to her individuality as a Muslim feminist and refused to let negative experiences define her.

"Talkhani writes with disarming honesty about how she was able to finally forge an identity away from the confines of family and religion.' ― Vogue

"A fearless voice that tells its hard-won truths with immense strength, and a lot of love. It is a beautiful and important book which belongs at the centre of our cultural life." ― Preti Taneja, author of We That Are Young

"Fascinating" ― Scotsman

"Touching on often taboo subjects like hair loss, Talkhani's story of grit is a portrait of a young woman who refused to let others define her." ― ELLE

"Insightful...Written with unflinching honesty . . . Political, personal, religious, revealing and beautifully written, Talkhani is a writer to watch." ― Stylist

"Brilliant and brutally honest, this memoir ropes you in with every page. The intimacy that Zeba evokes will remind you of your own sister opening her heart to you." ― Meena Kandasamy, author of When I Hit You, shortlisted for The Women’s Prize

"An addictive, vital read. Talkhani interrogates the outsider narrative in ways that feel expansive, timely and wholly inspiring." ― Irenosen Okojie, author of Butterfly Fish

"A brave new voice that reaches out to us all." ― Miranda Doyle, author of A Book of Untruths