Book Review: All The Things She Could Never Have

Home is not the place where you were born or where you grew up, nor family the people you were born to or grew up around; rather, home is the place that makes you feel that you belong, and family are the people who accept you as theirs

Representation matters. As people of difference, we have come to care so much about how we carry ourselves, the stories we tell because we know that we carry our communities over our shoulders. It will never be “Carla said” or “Tehmina does” but Mexicans believe and Pakistani do (regardless if we both have other nationalities as well). So we put on our best face and censor stories that would play into stereotypes, we say the right things for our audiences. Not Tehmina Khan in “All The Things She Could Never Have”. She is courageous enough to bring us stories close to our hearts and steeped in reality. Stories about our young lured by extremists, gender non-conforming girls rejected by family, and women looking for love who end up losing everything. Stories that need to be told. Stories we need to own. This is a short and beautiful collection that I wish more people picked up.