At my turn, I read a section from my manuscript about a woman who had the courage to leave her abusive husband after she suffered in the riots.
“I feel like you need to insert yourself in more,” one reader, white like every other person in the room, told me.
“But the chapter is not about me,” I said, “and I want her story to stand on its own.”
“You know, I have never met another Muslim and I would love to know what it is like to be a Muslim, especially these days.”
I did not know how to respond. What did she mean by “these days”?
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