An orphan grapples with gender, siblinghood, family, and coming-of-age as a Muslim in America in this lyrical debut novel from the acclaimed authorofIf They Come For Us

In this heartrending, lyrical debut work of fiction, Fatimah Asghar traces the intense bond of three orphaned siblingswho, after their parents die, are left to raise one another. The youngest, Kausar, grapples with the incomprehensible loss of her parents as she also charts out her own understanding of gender; Aisha, the middle sister, spars with her “crybaby” younger siblingas she desperately tries to hold on to her sense of family in an impossible situation; and Noreen, the eldest, does her best in the role of sister-mother while also trying to create a life for herself, on her own terms.

As Kausar grows up, she must contend with the collision of her private and public worlds, and choose whether to remain in the life of love, sorrow, and codependency she’s known or carve out a new path for herself.When We Were Sisterstenderly examines the bonds and fractures of sisterhood, names the perils of being three Muslim American girls alone against the world, and ultimately illustrates how those whove lost everything might still make homes in each other.

Fatimah Asghar, author ofIf They Come for Us, is a poet, filmmaker, educator, and performer. She is the writer and co-creator ofBrown Girls, an Emmy-nominated web series that highlights friendships between women of color. Along with Safia Elhillo, she is the editor ofHalal If You Hear Me,an anthology that celebrates Muslim writers who are also women, queer, gender-nonconforming, and/or trans.

• Publisher:One World (October 18, 2022)
• Language:English
• Hardcover:352 pages
• ISBN-10:0593133463
• ISBN-13:9780593133460
• Item Weight:1.25 pounds
• Dimensions:5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches