Mona: An Immodest Memoir of Race and Rebellion

As irreverent as it is insightful, MONA turns the repressed Muslim girl trope on its head as Azra, academic by day and stripper by night, navigates a double life and a political awakening.


Azra Liaqat Khan’s ordinary Muslim American childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina transforms after her family joins the strict Salafi sect and a new lifestyle is mandated: No more music, Bollywood films, or mixing between the sexes. Azra becomes a pro at evading her desi parents’ rules—hiding her boyfrie...