★ 04/10/2017
In sometimes heartbreaking and staggering prose laced with subtle and sardonic humor, Moghul (The Order of Light) shares what it looks like to hammer out an American Muslim identity. Amid depression and bipolarity, between being Pakistani and American, Moghul discovers that Islam is not a straitjacket but a free-flowing wardrobe of expression and being in which he lives as he moves through the modern world. The narrative, rife with pop-culture references and Qur’anic reflections, follows the author through adolescence and adulthood as he struggles to understand his intellectual heritage and the sometimes debilitating stress of being Muslim in a country where Muslims are always considered suspect. As Moghul loses himself and seeks himself, readers will appreciate his story as a second-generation Muslim immigrant, but also as a representative of the modern man: searching, groping, discovering, losing, loving, hoping, dreaming, and suffering. Highly recommended for its candor and relatability, this book will invite readers to fathom what it means to grasp Islam—and religion and spirituality in general. (June)
In sometimes heartbreaking and staggering prose laced with subtle and sardonic humor, Moghul (The Order of Light) shares what it looks like to hammer out an American Muslim identity. As Moghul loses himself and seeks himself, readers will appreciate his story as a second-generation Muslim immigrant, but also as a representative of the modern man: searching, groping, discovering, losing, loving, hoping, dreaming, and suffering. Highly recommended for its candor and relatability, this book will invite readers to fathom what it means to grasp Islam—and religion and spirituality in general.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“This personal account will appeal to fans of memoirs as well as those interested in learning more about the historical, geopolitical, and cultural roots of Islam.”
—Library Journal
“It’s the fascinating tension between what others perceive Moghul to be and what Moghul feels that results in a work of biting self-awareness.”
—Foreword Reviews
“A searing, intimate portrait of a brilliant but troubled young man struggling with spiritual, psychological and physical challenges while trying to balance a commitment to his religion’s tenets and succeed in a secular society.”
—The Jewish Week
“Rarely does a book come along that captures the complicated nature of Muslim life in the West with such probing clarity and authenticity. Haroon Moghul’s How to Be a Muslim: An American Story is perfectly titled: part memoir, part history lesson, part philosophy. It is a profound and intimate book—the story of a single American Muslim that also illustrates the fears and strengths of a community.”
—Ausma Zehanat Khan, Washington Post
“The intended audience for Moghul’s account reaches well beyond the Muslim community.”
—Saeed Khan, The Muslim Observer
“Both authentically American and authentically Muslim, Moghul navigates the perilous fault lines of each dysfunctional identity while gracefully juggling the hot-potato topics of race, religion, nerd pop culture, and awkward first dates. Between Homer Simpson and Muhammad Iqbal, Rumi and Kobe Bryant, Haroon Moghul’s profound, honest, entertaining, and hilarious memoir emerges as an important voice for our times. The title, How to Be a Muslim, doesn’t do this revealing and impressive memoir justice. It should simply be called ‘How to Be a Human.’ By showing us his warts, pain, flaws, insecurities, demons, and hypocrisies, Moghul ultimately reveals the joy, wonder, and purpose of living and being in the messy, conflicted playground that is modern life.”
—Wajahat Ali, author of The Domestic Crusaders
“How to Be a Muslim is at once a poignant spiritual memoir, a gripping tale of love and survival, and a pop-culture-infused retelling of an ancient tradition. Packed with wit, wisdom, and wry intelligence, Haroon Moghul’s story should be read by anyone who wants to understand the complexity and reality of religion in America today.”
—Peter Manseau, author of One Nation, Under Gods
“How to Be a Muslim: An American Story details Haroon Moghul’s journey from nonbelief to faith. With capacious wit and impassioned logic, this timely memoir portrays the forging of a young man’s identity. An essayist, broadcaster, and commentator on Islamic affairs, Moghul takes a personal turn describing early rifts between his inward and outward life. He was born to Punjabi parents from Pakistan, and raised as a Muslim in New England despite his lack of connection to God. Thematic chapters detail his struggle to reconcile his family’s religion with his longing for a normal teenage life; attempts at relationships; his college years; excursions to Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Cairo, and Dubai; bipolar disorder; divorce; and other topics. No matter the event under discussion, it’s the fascinating tension between what others perceive Moghul to be and what Moghul feels that results in a work of biting self-awareness.”
—Karen Rigby, The Forward Reviews
06/15/2017
In this intellectual yet quirky memoir, Moghul (Order of Light) recounts his childhood and ongoing struggles with his faith while also candidly discussing health problems such as anxiety, depression, and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Entangled throughout is the continuing push and pull of his religious and cultural upbringing as a Muslim—and what it means to his identity. Though Moghul offers no simple answers of coming to terms with a more personal relationship with Allah, he explores his own relationships failings and struggles with a brutal honesty and a genuine desire to reconcile himself with the religious identity presented to him. Moghul's writing is a force to be reckoned with: intelligent, witty, and possessing the ability to reduce highly complex issues to simple concepts. While he sometimes wades deeply into weighty subjects, the memoir is infused with an entertaining stream of consciousness, making for a unique and enlightening read. VERDICT This personal account will appeal to fans of memoirs as well as those interested in learning more about the historical, geopolitical, and cultural roots of Islam.—Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA
Listeners may remember the author as one of the prominent faces of Muslim-Americans after the 9/11 attacks. But if not, this audiobook is a reminder that he remains one of the most eloquent representatives of the religion. Narrator Kamran R. Khan reads too quickly and loses some of the words in his race to the ends of sentences. His voice is pleasant enough, and when he does occasionally slow down, one can hear the potential in both his tone and range. Khan is certainly understandable; he just doesn’t give the listener enough time to consider the audiobook’s ideas. This is a shame as Moghul has some fascinating and important things to say. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Listeners may remember the author as one of the prominent faces of Muslim-Americans after the 9/11 attacks. But if not, this audiobook is a reminder that he remains one of the most eloquent representatives of the religion. Narrator Kamran R. Khan reads too quickly and loses some of the words in his race to the ends of sentences. His voice is pleasant enough, and when he does occasionally slow down, one can hear the potential in both his tone and range. Khan is certainly understandable; he just doesn’t give the listener enough time to consider the audiobook’s ideas. This is a shame as Moghul has some fascinating and important things to say. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2017-03-15
The troubled tale of one man's search for faith and happiness.A self-described "professional Muslim," Moghul shares his life story, as a Muslim navigating his faith and a man struggling with mental illness, in painstaking detail. Plagued by health issues during his childhood, the author went on to an adolescence filled with intense angst. Both defined and confined by his religion, Moghul eventually found himself an atheist, of sorts. "I chose not to believe in God," he explains, "because, with Him out of the way, there was at last room for me." Circumstances changed, in a way, once he moved away from home and began his studies at New York University. Islam then became a common bond for community and a cause for which the author could work. He helped create a student Islamic center and was heading it up when the 9/11 attacks occurred, thrusting him into the world of media as a voice for Islam. Nevertheless, he was still detached from Islam as a personal faith and suffering from mental illness. A diagnosis of bipolar disorder, near-suicide attempts, a failed marriage, a failed run at law school, and a troubled career as a spokesman for Islam make up the remainder of the book. Moghul's work is certainly an intriguing case study in psychology. As for his tie to Islam, that is in fact just one piece of the puzzle, and the author's self-loathing permeates his life story, which becomes almost a caricature of faith-related guilt. "I felt existentially nauseated," he writes near the end. Despite some almost inevitable insights into life as an American Muslim, this memoir is, above all, a work of catharsis. Readers play the part of therapist, listening to Moghul's tortured story, which never finds a true resolution. Studded with some useful observation but fails to properly address the title.
