I Am Yours

Reema Zaman delivers her memoir in a bold, firm voice full of strength as she describes how she came to be a feminist writer living in Oregon. Her story begins in a traditional Bangladeshi home when she is a girl. She draws the listener in as though we were sitting down for coffee and swapping stories of our youth. In a contemplative tone, Zaman describes her mother's limited choices as compared to her own range of opportunities. She dramatizes memories from her younger years by using a childlike persona, including a portrayal of herself at age 3 as the family moves from Bangladesh to Hawaii. Listeners are carried along by this engaging contemporary story of migration, family, and self-discovery. M.R. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

April 22, 2019
Public speaker Zaman debuts with the powerful account of how she grew from being a voiceless girl to a woman with a confident “roar.” Born in 1984 in Bangladesh to loving but mismatched parents (their marriage was arranged), Zaman became a rebellious, anorexic teen; attended Skidmore College; and, after graduation, moved to Manhattan to work as an actress. There she encountered an artistically invigorating but harsh world in which she was date-raped and later married an emotionally abusive man. Zaman can be very perceptive (“Sometimes death is the force that stuns us alive”); however, readers may recognize the red flags that she missed until too late—such as her husband demanding she change her dress and blot her makeup before going out. Zaman writes of her refusal to let abusive relationships alter her, choosing instead to listen to her inner voice that tells her, “All I need, I have.” She eventually divorces her husband and finds her inner strength, realizing that “what will always matter is the woman I am with or without him.” This lovely work of hope and resilience will resonate with women struggling to find their voice and place in the world.