A review by pinesandpages
Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad

4.5

What a life and so many achievements! This is a great one even for a fencing novice, such as myself. I quite enjoyed this memoir, and admired her grit, determination, and perseverance. Which all might be the same thing, who knows! I admired that for her and at the same time it was so difficult listening to the constant “subtle” discrimination she experienced. I called it “subtle” bc it wasn’t like overt slurs and like all caps RACISM or ISLAMOPHOBIA but rather the lower case kind. It happened at every level (including on the US Olympic team) which was very upsetting. Upon listening to all the work and effort she put in, I just wished for her to have the option to rest. I know why she couldn’t at the time bc she wanted to secure her future and gain broader acceptance for Muslims in America, but my goodness I wish she could take a break from always pushing forward and having the world on her shoulders. It’s challenging to be a representative for so many communities all of the time. 

I’m definitely going to be following her life now, she does so many various cool and inspiring things. I’m glad the author narrated it, she did a great job. 

 My 4.5 stars is solely for the writing style, it could a bit smoother and I would’ve liked to hear more about the post-Olympic bronze win.