This Arab is Queer is an anthology by LGBTQ+ Arab authors in diaspora who share dangerous truths about who they are, where they are from, and the price of choosing to be themselves. As Mona Eltahawy puts it in “The Decade of Saying All That I Could Not Say,” “the personal is often more dangerous and harder to say than the political.” These beautifully curated personal narratives are intimate, daring, enlightening, mindboggling-page-turners that force readers to question what they may have taken for granted and what might never have crossed their minds. There is a chilling awareness of knowing the horrors some Arab parents are capable of when their children come out, or are outed, to them. 

From Dina M. Matta’s definitions of loneliness and what it means to explain yourself to yourself, to Amrou Al-Kadhi’s embrace of transgression and their breaking free from the “social replications” that parents desire their children to become; from Khalid Abdel-Hadi’s journey to legitimize and sustain their magazine My Kali at the frontline of a war waged against homophobia in Jordan, to Danny Ramadan’s precise insistence on autonomy as an author of a marginalized identity; to Amina’s beautiful yet heartbreaking recount of Sara Hegazi’s tragedy and the witch-hunt of the LGBTQ+ community in Egypt. These are only a few of the eighteen narratives by authors who refuse to be silenced by homophobic and transphobic authoritarian parents and totalitarian political regimes. They are not merely narratives; they are testimonies powerful enough to echo across their native countries and the diaspora. The anthology shows how love and pain are universal, and how struggle, endurance and advocacy for the rights of the marginalized are both necessary and inevitable.

A Thread of Silent Echoes is a powerful collection of short stories that explores the complexities of human relationships and the intensity of unspoken emotion. Patrick Nzabonimpa moves seamlessly between past and present, guided by nostalgia and reflection, while always keeping an eye on the consequences that ripple into the future. The dialogue is sharp and emotionally honest, revealing the quiet cruelty of guilt, while the carefully chosen points of view place the reader exactly where they need to be within each narrative. Nzabonimpa skillfully shows how faith is intertwined with culture, and how love, when mixed with control, jealousy, or silence, can either sustain or fracture relationships. From the heartbreak and anticipation in Shattered Silence, to a nine-year-old boy confronting grief and adult failures in A Newborn Girl Is Her Mother’s Death, to coming of age under authoritarian parenting in A Brother’s Sin, and the haunting weight of memory in Artifacts of Guilt, each story leaves a lasting emotional imprint. Recommended for readers who appreciate literary short fiction that is reflective, emotionally grounded, and culturally rich, especially those drawn to themes of faith, family, guilt, and the quiet moments that shape our lives.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Drew G. Rosen’s engaging style, delightful humor, and contemporary dialogue zoom in on moments people might miss in everyday encounters. In “Before the Sink Overflows,” a brief interaction between a father and son unravels a generational gap and differing worldviews in a moment that could easily seem ordinary. In “Hold the Jalapeños: An Interview with Gladys Sands,” you hear the voice of an essential worker who shows you the world from a novel perspective, one that is often dismissed or overlooked. Similarly, “Vanilla Phones: An Interview with Gabe Moreno” makes you pause and reflect on what it means, and how it feels, to work in a retail store through the eyes of a young adult. In “Joint Ventures,” it feels as though you are at the physical therapy center, forming quiet connections with the characters as they walk you through their experiences. The collection is a reminder of how interactions with strangers can sometimes be more meaningful than those we have with people we see every day. Each story is snack-sized, offering a rich experience without ever feeling full. You’re left wanting more.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.