A courageous and realistic story that was told in genuine way of the reality of the Amrou Al-Kadhi's live and the people around him.. A good story that it is capable of invoking emotion.

This was such a poignant and powerful read. This is a perspective I haven't read about before and I really appreciated this book. Al-Kadhi comes from a well off, conservative Iraqi family and this memoir tells the story of his childhood and growing up with the realisation that he is gay. We follow him as he tries to tell his family, moves to England and starts at Cambridge where his drag career kicks off. At times this was difficult to read but at other times it was absolutely hilarious. I loved the writing and structure of the book, and the author's honesty was so refreshing. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this insight into someone from shifting cultures and who explains gay femme culture and drag culture so well. Full review to come on my blog.

Review on my blog: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2019/10/11/book-review-amrou-al-kadhi-unicorn/

Amrou - or Glamrou as he calls himself once he becomes a drag queen - is an Iraqui boy. Muslim, of course, well off, intelligent and from a loving family. Loving that is, as long as he conforms to their ideas of what a Muslim boy should be. Amrou tries to conform - or at least promises to try - but he can't do it. He is what he is - gay, tending towards the feminine, a fancy dresser - and his true nature cannot be denied forever.

(I am aware that I should be using the pronoun 'they' here, as that is Amrou's preference. However, I find it very difficult to do that and write English at the same time. Please substitute 'they' for he or she wherever appropriate.)

Amrou is by turns vulnerable and self-aggrandising; flamboyant and depressed. He flirts with the British upper class (he gets himself into Eton), is a compulsive swot - he must be the best at everything in order to feel acceptable - and must stand out from the crowd by being better than everyone else. Not all these traits are attractive and one wonders why he puts himself in situations where he is open to abuse from those he is trying to emulate.

His parents, who are wealthy and glamorous, just want a normal boy - 'Just sleep with girls anyway,' his father suggests in an effort to make his son straight. But when Amrou discovers drag at Cambridge, it is a revelation. He now knows what he wants to be; what, deep inside, he really is. Amrou becomes Glamrou; he becomes they.

The book is somewhat overwritten - there are plenty of strained (and strange) similes - but in a way that's part of the joy. Glamrou is over the top - so obviously his writing is too.

This is a very brave book - transgressive and progressive - challenging Islamic behavioral codes and precepts, and hopefully pushing the boundaries along the way. It is both moving and funny - a fascinating insight into another way of life. Long may Amrou continue to be Glamrou; they are a true original.

Subtitled “The Memoir Of A Muslim Drag Queen” this book will be unlike anything that you’ve read before. It’s an extraordinarily unflinching account of a search for acceptance from an individual hunting for answers at odds with practically all aspects of life and the crushing need to find a place to fit in.

The title refers to a tattoo Amrou Al-Kadhi had inked because “ they are the ultimate outsiders, destined to gallop alone. They share the body of a horse and are similar in form, but are of a different nature, almost able to belong in an equine herd, but utterly conspicuous and irrefutably other.” This fits in with the author’s self- perceptions exactly as well as the unicorn being “also a symbol of pride, of a creative flaunting its difference without shame.” I’d be hard put to think of a more fitting image in any book this year.

I’ve read a lot of coming out tales and accounts of individuals feeling out of sync with society. Amrou Al-Kadhi has battled with issues of sexuality, gender (preferring to be referred to as “they”), family, religion, drugs, mental health issues and OCD and I’ve probably not covered all of them. If this sounds depressing, wrong, the result is an uplifting extraordinary read.

As a young boy in Dubai and then Bahrain Amrou was totally obsessed with his mother and would do literally anything to keep her attention, which provides the first of the book’s many jaw-dropping moments. His behaviour, perceived as feminine, damaged the relationship with his father and an early declaration of his sexuality cemented that sense of rejection as it was so at odds with the family’s view of Islam. A move to the UK saw Amrou obsessively adopting the new Western culture and a determination to succeed in a manner which could only reinforce his sense of isolation.

This desperate striving for academic achievement led to time at Eton (which was equally miserable) and Cambridge University where the formation of a drag night and then a troupe of performers provided both a reason for being as well as bringing all the underlying tensions up to the surface.

This is Amrou’s first book but there is a background in writing and direction in film work, unsurprisingly, as Amrou is a born story-teller who can vividly recreate events that are often painfully honest in every muscle-clenching detail. It’s a journey towards accepting the self and also beginning to acknowledge situations from other’s points of view. At one point this is likened to quantum physics and parallel events which is a little over my head but allows the author to make some sense from the life story. As a writer, there is definite talent and the emotional intelligence with which difficult issues are conveyed shows great potential for future work. It’s touching, very powerful, outrageous, laugh out loud funny and extremely sad. As a read it both shocked and entertained. Whatever Amrou might have felt at the time the life experiences are almost certainly not unique but they have never been aired in this way before. The search for love, especially within the family and the potential catastrophic pitfalls when this is not forthcoming are expertly expressed. The subtitle, appropriate as it is, might suggest something different but this is a thoughtful, learned, literary work.

A feast of colour and courage that is both moving and life-affirming. Undoubtedly, one of the non-fiction treats of 2019 and should be on every local library and school library shelf. Wonderful.

WOW!!!! if anyone has doubts about their sexuality, gender or indeed anything LGBT+ then read this book right to the end. the first ... maybe .... 75% are about trying to suppress, trying to fit in, getting it wrong etc but then the light bulb moment and Amrou/Glamrou can shine as the wonderful person they are and they deserve to be, you need to read the darkness to appreciate the light.

Amrou in this very honest autobiography describes the terrible personal conflicts he faces being by being Iraqi, gay and muslim. Forbidden by his parents to appear anything other than heterosexual he strives to find other ways to create feelings of self-worth. First he tries simply being "the best" at school, then he attempts to become a leading expert in breeding exotic marine life in a huge 350 litre fish tank in his bedroom. Next, now having moved with his parents to the UK, he goes to Eton on a scholarship where, despite trying desperately to fit in, he again suffers brutal hardship because of his lack of self-esteem. By the time he gets to Cambridge his parents have gone back East and he is able, at last, to begin to express himself as a drag queen. But, ultimately it is only his exceptional intelligence that saves him and allows him to re-connect with his family. Where does he find the solution to this conundrum? Only reading this utterly frank story shall provide you with the answer. But, for anyone struggling to live comfortably with an identity that is perhaps at odds with societal norms, Amrou's narrative proves there is always a way.

Amrou Al-Khadhi writes a remarkably poignant, profoundly moving and unflinching memoir of his challenging life coming from an Iraqi Muslim conservative family to become Glamrou, an exuberant, confident, acerbic, gay drag queen, saying all the things that Amrou himself cannot. It begins with a performance in Edinburgh that is to prove pivotal in re-evaluating himself terms of his religious faith, family and sense of identity, when a group of hajib wearing Muslim women in the front row result in him falling apart backstage. Amrou and Rafy are twin brothers, with Amrou growing up close to his beloved fashion conscious mother and all things feminine, and Rafy closer to his father, and all things masculine, such as football. In this memoir, he reflects, warts and all, on growing up constantly seeking the attention and love of his mother, the hostility to who he is and the policing of his sexuality by his family, attending Eton, and going to Cambridge, where he helped establish the drag troupe, Denim and the character of Glamrou, and his mental health issues.

Amrou outlines his traumatic and damaging years at Eton with its racism, bullying, Islamaphobia, and some of its controlling and manipulative students that reinforced his personal sense of failure, worthlessness and fuel his growing self hatred, where his dreams to identify as a English gentleman are destined to burn to ashes right from the start. He portrays his experiences with drugs and chemsex, giving the reader a well thought out, painful but insightful look at what being a man entails, masculinity, and the gay community, with its well known homophobia, racism, the often problematic perceptions of drag queens, and the surrounding issues of power and control, and its cultural biases against Islam. Of particular interest to me was how marine biology helped Amrou to actualise his identity as a non-binary aquatic being, with a 'they' pronoun, and how quantum physics contributed to validating who he is.

It is with a sense of relief that I read of how Rafy helped Amrou and his parents come to terms with each other and reconnect, I was particularly touched by how Amrou slowly becomes aware of the pressures that his mother faced with his father, and the pressures of the partriarchal system that deny women the right to be who they are. This is an inspirational read, smart, thought provoking, and fascinating at how Amrou shifts his perspectives on Islam, to see how it incorporated all that he is and belonged to him, an integral part of him as he comes to own it. I was so thankful to see how he returned to his family roots, in particular his mother, and came to understand her better. This is a memoir so worth reading, there is so much to learn from it, so much more than just being a gay muslim drag queen, ultimately it is about the complexities of what it is to be human. Highly recommended. Many thanks to HarperCollins 4th Estate.

You would think that growing up in a family where he lacked for nothing would bring with it a perfect childhood but what Amrou needed more than anything was acceptance for who he was and living in an Iraqi Muslin household made that impossible. Amrou tells his story from childhood openly, honestly, with barbs and wedges that wounded and grew wider as the years went on.
From early years Amrou knew that he was different from other people but his innocence in sharing his feelings and thoughts ruptured family harmony, costing him dearly of the closeness that he had shared with his mother. His twin brother went places with their father but Amrou had preferred shopping expeditions with his mother and watching her dress up and apply makeup. He learned a lot from her.
So many times he tried to fit into his surroundings. But because he thought perfection would bring acceptance with his peers, he strived to be perfect at what he did. His compulsion was heartbreaking. At times it felt more like he was Rapunzel so isolated from everyone, especially through his early University days.
I admire Amrou so very much from reading his story, so very brave and courageous seeking to be loved for who was is not what others wanted him to be. I thought this would be a light-hearted read but I had been wrong, it was so much better. I loved the rawness and honesty, warts and glamour.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

This was an enlightening and thought provoking book - I must admit I hadn't expected to be learning about quantum physics - about someone from a very different world to mine, and the difficulties of finding your true self in a judgemental world.
Obviously as an autobiography it is centred on Amrou's thoughts about how people and the world in general treat him, (I apologise but I'm unsure of the correct pronoun to use here) but I would also like to know his family's thoughts on his childhood - particularly his mother; living in a patriarchy, and envying Amrou the possibility of being a heterosexual man. And what about his twin brother?
The discussion of Allah and Islam were also interesting and I was left with many questions at the end of the book.
Thank you to netgalley and 4th estate for an advance copy of this book.

This is a really interesting read. Amrou’s battle to live how he wants is an intriguing and insightful read. It is intriguing to read about other peoples points of view and beliefs.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was a really interesting and insightful book. There are so many aspects of modern society and different cultures that I'm completely clueless about. I've been trying to find and read more about some of them. This is powerfully and honestly written, and it's heartbreaking at times.

This was excellent, not just a quip filled glitter extravaganza, but a really deep emotional take on being Muslim, gay and being ostracised. An intellectual evaluation our our societies attitude towards other, this book stays with you. Glamrou is a future national treasure.

I LOVED this memoir. So well written and their emotional honesty and humour shone through. Will be recommending far and wide.

🦄🦄🦄Unicorn- The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen by @glamrou Published by @4thestatebooks .
🦄🦄🦄
I have read many memoirs over the years but non have really engrossed me as ‘Unicorn’ did.
You have to firstly admire Amrous’ bravery and courage to be sharing his life and journeys with us.
🦄🦄🦄
Here is a naked, no stone unturned life story. Amrou delivers bares his heart and soul within this book.
🦄🦄🦄
It is much more than just about life as a Muslim drag queen it goes much much deeper. It tackles love, parental love, love in general.life, religion and homophobia.
🦄🦄🦄
Amrou knew from a young age that he was different to his twin brother. His twin would enjoy spending time with his father watch football, where as Amrou enjoyed spending time with is Mama. He enjoyed admiring his mothers clothes.
🦄🦄🦄
But these feeling that Amrou has were at odds with his religion and the way his was brought up in the Middle East.
This is just the start of a journey that sees Amrou suffer from bullying,O.C.D, drug taking , drinking and a lot more.
🦄🦄🦄 Amrous’ raw honesty and what happened to him through both childhood and adulthood jumps off the page. I just astounded by his continued inner strength
He offers moments of reflection on the past and where he went wrong also identifying his own mistakes, where he went wrong and how today he would have done things differently.
🦄🦄🦄 Sadly today it can still be difficult to come out and to be accepted. Amrou has not only that but a whole mind field to contend with.
(Family acceptance, religion,finding myself who he really is, friendship)
🦄

The title ‘Unicorn’ may seem a little odd but it all becomes clear as you read it.
Definition of a unicorn -‘something that is highly desirable but different to find or obtain ‘
🦄🦄🦄
A truly truly amazing book. 💫💫💫💫💫
Thank you @4thestatebooks for gifting me this book.

#unicorn #bookstagram #bookcommunity #reviewer #blogger #booknerd #bookalicious #bookobsessed #bookaddiction #readerofig #loveofreader #readerforlife #4thestatebooks #highlyrecommended #memoir #mustread #brave

On the surface, it's easy to expect that the memoir of a drag queen could take a very light turn - it could be lots of glitz and glamour, entertaining stories from shows and nights out, with perhaps a glimpse into the realities of identity, queer culture and coming out. Sounds good, right?

With Unicorn, what Amrou Al-Kadhi delivers is so much more powerful and profound than that. Starting with Amrou's childhood as an Iraqi Muslim, raised in a traditionally patriarchal family where adherence and presentation were key aspects of life, this is an incredibly moving, and incredibly well-written, story of self-identity. There's exploration of the ways that social constructs define and restrict who you feel able to be, the particularly powerful role that parents play in defining who we are as people, and even the way that other queer people can be so damaging to a queer identity.

Within just a few pages, I'd fallen in love with this book. With references to The Sims (and our universal need to find inventive ways to ruin their lives and kill them off), Harry Potter, queer TV shows and so much more, it's hard not to fall for Amrou's charm.

In fact, the entire book feels a little like one of those deep conversations that you accidentally end up having with a friend after one too many drinks at the pub, in the best possible way. It feels intimate, intense and a privilege to be a part of.

What Amrou manages to do incredibly well is balance a light, humorous tone with an exploration of some incredibly serious, dark issues including mental health, self-harm, self-loathing, paranoia and much more. With some many heavy topics to discuss it could easily be an obtuse, difficult read, but Amrou manages to balance immensely profound discussions with an incredibly readable style that meant I honestly couldn't put this book down, and felt slightly bereft to not continue their journey once it finished.

As a gay man, there's a lot here I found relatable. The queer community is famed for being both supportive and critical, exclusive and open, empowering and crippling, and that's explored really well in Unicorn. Between the paradoxical homophobia, racism, body shaming and fragile masculinity, it's hard to find a queer person that hasn't found the community a challenging place to be, and Amrou explores this brilliantly.

As someone who's also faced religious and familial pressures with regards to sexuality, I feel I was probably affected by this book more than others might be, but I really think there's something for everyone to take from this.

If you can read this book without learning how to be more human, I'll be shocked.

I am well aware of Glamrou on the London scene- as a writer, a filmmaker, a performer and even as a beautiful part of the Kiss My Genders exhibition at the Hayward. Having earlier this year read Crystal Rasmussen's memoirs I was bemused that another member of Denim had a book coming out but jumped at the chance of an advance copy. And somehow, despite all these elements, Unicorn fell flat for me. At first I wanted to love the campy nature of pop culture references but in a short while they began to grate and I really felt that the overreliance on this detracted from their personal story. It's great to be part of fandoms but the recollections come across as diluted when every anecdote is 'like' something else-it was like Hunger Games, it was like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, like a Harry Potter dementor, like that time on X Factor, the list goes on. I wanted to be saved from the similes.
There are elements of Unicorn that I really love such as the exploration of gender in marine life and, closer to home for me, the pursuit of perfection in adolescence to deflect from larger issues. Certainly some deeply personal and also occasionally hilarious stories were shared. On the whole though I always felt as I was reading that there was more going on behind the curtain than the author was willing or able to let on, making the book feel a bit stage managed.

I hoped this would give me an insight into a life so different from mine, and it certainly did. It was well written and gave food for thought. My main problem was I didn't feel an affinity with Amrou at all.

A powerful read, very heavy at times, but such an amazing life to read about. Completely inspiring and although sometimes hard to read with such powerful issues, also very hard to put down. Inspirational

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion