A searingly honest memoir of one young woman’s journey toward self-acceptance as she comes to see her body as a symbol of rebellion and hope and chooses to live her life unapologetically.
Ever since she was little, Leah Vernon was told what to believe and how to act. There wasn’t any room for imperfection. Good Muslim girls listened more than they spoke. They didn’t have a missing father or a mother with a mental disability. They didn’t have fat bodies or grow up wishing they could be like the white characters they saw on TV. They didn’t have husbands who abused and cheated on them. They certainly didn’t have secret abortions. In Unashamed, Vernon takes to task the myth of the perfect Muslim woman with frank dispatches on her love-hate relationship with her hijab and her faith, race, weight, mental health, domestic violence, sexuality, the millennial world of dating, and the process of finding her voice.
She opens up about her tumultuous adolescence living at the poverty line with her fiercely loving but troubled mother, her absent dad, her siblings, and the violent dissolution of her 10-year marriage. Tired of the constant policing of her clothing in the name of Islam and Western beauty standards, Vernon reflects on her experiences with hustling paycheck to paycheck, body-shaming, and redefining what it means to be a “good” Muslim.
Irreverent, youthful, and funny, Unashamed gives anyone who is marginalized permission to live unapologetic, confident lives.
“Vernon’s determined advocacy for body positivity as a feminist and mental health issue, and her painful journey to self-acceptance, are moving and powerful, forcing readers to examine their own preconceptions about beauty standards and health.”
—Booklist
“This candid memoir will be of interest for those who have experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence, and who are seeking forceful encouragement toward self-empowerment and self-expression.”
—Library Journal
“Vernon’s narration reads like an intimate heart-to-heart chat with a friend . . . Irreverent, vulnerable, and unapologetic in every sense.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will head straight to her Instagram if they aren’t established fans. Tough topics like mental illness, domestic violence, and abortion are covered unflinchingly, with a frankness that will appeal to older teens.”
—School Library Journal
“Deeply powerful in its vulnerability, Unashamed invites us into the pain, beauty, and redemption that have shaped Leah Vernon. We are transformed through the act of witnessing . . . . One of the most generous memoirs I’ve ever read.”
—Virgie Tovar, author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat
“I love the fierce, unflinching honesty and integrity in Unashamed . . . . I laughed and cried and read this book in awe of Leah Vernon’s brave, bold, and beautiful voice.”
—Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of The Lines We Cross and Does My Head Look Big in This?
“Unashamed is everything Leah Vernon embodies on a daily basis: authenticity, resiliency, and, most of all . . . unquestionable courage . . . . I’m so thankful for Leah: the fantastically powerful force behind this literary triumph.”
—Jes Baker, author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls and Landwhale
Preface
Part 1: Good Muslim Girl
1. The Shirt That Swallowed Me Whole
2. Child Support
3. Vernon v. Smiley
Part 2: Jezebel
4. Flushed
5. Mom Ain’t Mom No More
6. Playing House
Part 3. Life, Unfiltered
7. Caged In
8. Covering
9. That Time We Went to Guatemala
Part 4: Busting Out
10. Rebel with a Hijab
11. Sex Object
12. Perfectly Imperfect
Part 5: Unapologetically Me
13. To Wear or Not to Wear
14. Life in the Day of a Fat Model
15. Muslim Girl Dance
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
- “If You Want To Learn More About Muslim Life, Read These Books,” BuzzFeed News, included in Ramadan reading roundup
- “What Is Body Positivity?” NowThis Kids, video feature
- “Labor Day Reads 2020: New Books By Black Female Authors,” Forbes, included in Labor Day reading roundup, books by Black women
- “Just 27 Cool Products From Black-Owned Businesses,” Buzzfeed, included in roundup
- “Model, Author, and Activist Leah Vernon on Embracing the Word ‘Fat,’” Hour Detroit, Q&A
- “Hijabi Influencer, Plus-Size Model, And Body-Positive Activist Leah Vernon,” About Her, feature
- “‘Muslims aren’t one size fits all’: Hijabi influencer Leah Vernon doesn’t hold back in new memoir,” The National (United Arab Emirates newspaper), feature
- “#GoodAncestor Leah Vernon on Living Unashamed,” Good Ancestor, podcast interview
- “Detroit native writes about life as a model, Instagram star, and ‘fat, black, Muslim’ in new memoir,” Michigan Radio/Stateside (Michigan NPR), interview
- “Leah Vernon: Doing Her Thing and Doing it Right,” Black Girl Nerds, write-up
- “Book Tour Live Chat w/ Leah Vernon,” Dressing Room 8, livestream interview
- “BAR Book Forum: Leah Vernon’s ‘Unashamed,’” Black Agenda Report, Q&A
- “Ep 14: Unashamed — A Conversation on Identity with Leah V.” Bold True Life, podcast interview
- “Fat People Deserve to Glorify Their Bodies,” Wear Your Voice, included in piece on body positivity
- “Leah Vernon,” Muslims for American Progress (MAP), original piece
- “Bacon’s ‘Overtime’ returns to top of best sellers for October 2019,” The Oakland Press, listed as #3 indie bestseller in Michigan during the month of October 2019
- “Twenty-One Books to Read After Becoming,” The Atlantic, listed in Ibram X. Kendi’s reading roundup
- “Leah Vernon on Writing Her Memoir: ‘Fat, Black and Muslim,’” SiriusXM Urban View/The Karen Hunter Show, live interview
- “‘Fat, Black and Muslim,’ Leah Vernon Breaks It Down . . . ” SiriusXM Urban View/The Karen Hunter Show, live interview
- “Let’s Talk About Identity with Leah Vernon,” Let’s Be Honest, podcast interview
- “Detroit Lifestyle Blogger and Hijabi Model Tells All in ‘Unashamed’ Memoir,” WDET/CultureShift (Detroit NPR), live in-studio interview
- “Leah Vernon Won’t Be Hemmed in by the Fashion Industry,” Bitch, Glamour issue Q&A
- “Leah Vernon: A Day in the Life of a Fat Model,” Literary Hub, excerpt
- “Detroit blogger and model Leah Vernon releases memoir ‘Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black Muslim’” Detroit Metro Times, book launch announcement
- “Ep. 286: Being Fat, Black, Muslim, and Unashamed with Leah Vernon,” The Manwhore Podcast, interview
- “October 2019 Reads for the Rest of Us,” Ms. Magazine, listed in October 2019 reading roundup
- “Modest fashion industry expected to hit $370B by 2022,” TRT World (Turkish int’l news), interview
- “Leah Vernon - Episode #250,” The Chenese Lewis Show, podcast interview
- “Zero vergogna,” Vogue Italia, brief interview
- “Navigating Life Through Trauma and Body Dysmorphia with Leah Vernon,” UNSWTND+UNFLTRD, podcast interview