Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream

I am very glad to be able to have an insight into Ibtihaj's personal story in fencing. As a sabre fencer and fencing coach myself, I want to be able to support all of my students however they come into the salle, and I feel this book gave me a way to better understand her experience. I am also 100% in love with her hijab under her mask. Even though I am not Muslim, I have had waist length hair for my 20 years of fencing. When I saw her rising towards the 2016 Olympic games, I was floored that it took me so long to realized that it was perfectly possible for me to wear something under my mask to not have to rip my hair out on that darn Velcro! (20 years!!!) Going forward, I am going to find a similar head and hair covering for myself simply because of the utter practicality of the garment. At the same time, I hope that the act can normalize the idea of head coverings -- ANY head coverings -- for my students in the future. Thank you for all you do for fashion and fencing, Ibtihaj!

I am very glad that I purchased this book. It really has motivated me, and allowed me to get through some harsh times that I am going through in my life. I have followed her throughout her journey in the Olympics and love seeing her thrive with her own company in Fashion. Her journey to success did not come overnight, and she details the discrimination and harsh comments thrown at her because of her skin color and religious background. Despite all of that, she worked hard, kept her head held up high, and more importantly she refused to give up. She is definitely a SHERO to myself and so many others. Thank you Ms. Muhammad!!!

My daughter enjoys this book a lot. She read it during our last NAC trip. Fencing parent would understand what I am talking about:-) Believe me my kid does not enjoy reading nearly as much as she enjoys YouTube, so seeing her carrying this book around with her to read at the airport and during the flight already made me super happy …

I received a reviewer copy of Proud by Ibtihaj Muhammad from the publisher Hachette Books from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. CW: Racism, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry towards Muslims, Hate Letters and Death Threats What It’s About: Ibtihaj Muhammad is the first American Muslim Woman to wear Hijab in the Olympics. This is her story of how she got there. What I Loved: I loved reading this book during the Olympics. I am a huge fan of the Olympics and Ibtihaj made Olympic history so reading her story was great. Also, I found this book largely well written, which doesn’t always happen here. I really connected to the drive to do things for college admission and then finding your place in something you love. Ibtihaj writes a lot of being the only person of color in a room and the impact it had on her. Her journey to the Olympics wasn’t a straight forward path, like so many we see, and the role lack of diversity in her sport had on her made her stop several times. This book forced me to consider my own biases and think about how racism plays into sports, especially sports largely dominated by white people. I learned a lot and this story is a story of an American woman doing something extraordinary. I’m also from NJ so I enjoyed placing a lot of the descriptors in her work. What I Didn't Like So Much: I felt like often there were figures who let her down and didn’t have faith in her and then they would show up again, and it was like problem never existed. For instance her final coach was at the Olympics with her, but before then she said he didn’t travel or coach her cause he didn’t believe in her. I just felt like some gaps were there and we didn’t fully get the story of how things reconciled or went awry in case of friendships. Who Should Read This: People who love the Olympics. People who want to read stories about history-making women. People who want to read about people who perhaps don’t get a lot of attention. People who want to read a behind the scenes story. Quick Summary: Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first African American to wear Hijab, shares how she rose to the top in a sport largely populated by wealthy white kids.

I purchased this book for my daughter and just the first chapter resonated so deeply with us. Our family dynamics are almost identical to Ibtihaj's in every way and it was exactly what my daughter needed to read at this point in her life. Ibtihaj is the kind of role model we need for our little girls. We have this book and The Proudest Blue. It's important for our community to support each other!

An amazing (modern) story of faith, family, and fighting for what you want and what you believe in. Ibtihaj is truly a role model for girls and boys (as well as adults!) at a time when society is craving more diversity and inspiration. I want my daughter to read this (she's only 3 now). Following Ibtihaj through her successes and failures highlight her determination and resolve. The book is not just about atheltic principles; using her platform for activism reminds us to take from our difficult lessons to better humanity.

I really enjoyed reading this book about Ibtihaj Muhammad's life. She really does a great job walking the readers through the ups and downs of her life. I run a high school book club and this was the book of the month for April. The students talked about how inspirational the book was for them. Would definitely recommend.

After hearing Ibtihad in a podcast episode on Girlboss I HAD to read this book. I connected so much with it, because even if our stories are different, I can identify with her and her journey, whaaaat a journey. Beautiful book, written to be read, simple and honest but comming from an incredibly smart and complex woman who I so trully admire.

If you want to find out about what life is like for Muslim women, living in the US, then I would recommend this book. Ibtihaj has written an honest and thought-provoking book, as a fellow Muslim author I'm recommending this book to my friends. Farhat Amin Amazon Author Belief in Allah: reasons why you should believe in God The Quran, the miracle given to Prophet Muhammad (saw) Child Loss, Miscarriage & Bereavement; a Muslim mother's perspective

I bought this for my eldest niece as a gift. I just read the first few sentences and was amazed. It is well written. My niece will be opening her gift this Eid. I will be sure to borrow it from her and read the rest of it! Highly recommend reading this book about an amazing inspirational women! This book is for everyone and anyone. If you can read, you MUST read this!

Such an inspiration story, I looooved this book. I could really relate and i enjoyed every part of it. Thank you for paving the way for others Ibtihaj, cannot wait to meet you one day.

Loved her unique lens on the world and her story of finding her way!

Very inspiring. The book applies to anybody that feels left out like they dont have a seat at the table. It is very inspiring to hear how she overcame the massive challenges in front of her.