Synopsis

Southern Convert is a memoir of how a romantic encounter in Egypt led to Islam and Amelia’s reflections upon the subsequent impact, to herself and important others, on her marriage, religion, and the increasingly difficult choice to declare her Muslim faith by wearing the hijab head covering. Her experiences may echo in some ways those of authors born Muslim, but her distinctly Middle American sentiment and sensibilities skew her course differently in myriad ways. Amelia takes the reader along as she travels a thorny path through multiple identity transformations and attempts to find a place in two worlds in which she struggles to belong; as she navigates the dichotomy between others’ perceptions of her as oppressed, exotic, the willing victim of misogynists, and even angelic versus who she believes she is: a reasonably well-educated, feminist, soccer mom from the Midwest and Southern United States.Amelia invites the reader to play voyeur as she comes to better understand a broadening world and her new place in it. Always keeping to her roots and believing in the power of understanding versus division, Southern Convert is for the political junkie, the psychology aficionado, the social conservative and social justice warrior alike, and for anyone looking for a good laugh. Whilst sharing a compelling, albeit unpredictable tale, Amelia weaves in important contemporary issues without taking herself too seriously.