Beth has been reading Life as a unicorn: a journey from shame to pride and everything in between by Amrou Al-Kadhi. They say:

“The iconic British-Iraqi drag performer, writer and film-maker Amrou Al-Kadhi (aka Glamrou) tells their story in their own words. Amrou paints a vivid picture of growing up in a wealthy Arab and Muslim family, moving between Dubai, Bahrain and London. We follow them through the privileged spheres of public school education at Eton, then on to Cambridge University, where they discover drag and begin to find their voice, both as a performer and a gay, non-binary person with multiple intersecting identities that are often at odds with each other. They describe this as “…like playing a really exhausting game of Twister with yourself all day, every day.”

Their writing is both hilarious and deeply moving, especially when describing their complex relationship with their mother. As a small child, they share their mother’s love of glamour and high camp in music,
fashion and movies, but find as they grow up that this is no longer acceptable in someone perceived as a
young man. They long to be colourful and fluid, like the sea creatures they come to study, but quickly find that any signs of flamboyance or non-conformity are seen as shameful traits to be suppressed. They find
themselves struggling with internalised homophobia and islamophobia.

The painful push and pull of craving acceptance from your family and community, but also needing to be your authentic self, is something that a lot of LGBTQ+ people can relate to, even if they come from very different backgrounds. It can be a heart-breaking read at times, but it’s also very hopeful and affirming, as Amrou starts to reconcile all the different facets of themself, including rediscovering their faith and spirituality in a new way.

If you’re looking for stories from more diverse voices within the LGBTQ+ community, and you also want something that will make you laugh out loud on the bus, this book is for you.”

If you’d like some more ideas of what to read, check out the library’s LGBTQ+ resources list.