3.5 ⭐️ This book was very well written, but it ended up not being for me. I liked a few of the stories, but some ended being too religious and I couldn’t get into them.

Overall, I really liked this book! I did receive it as an ARC.

It was nice to read black stories through a lens that was particularly new to me. The stories I liked the most were "Nikkah" and "Due North". Islam was certainly a backdrop in all the stories, but for the most part Balal was able to connect me to the characters in many non-religious ways too. This is not a heavily indoctrinated text, so if you're from a different religious background or not a religious person at all, you can definitely still enjoy this collection! Temple Folk truly demonstrates there are so many parallels within our experiences in the black community and among people from different religious backgrounds.

Temple Folk is a collection of beautifully crafted stories about the lives of Black American Muslims, and in that it is unlike any book I've read before. The diverse experiences of the protagonists span across varying ages, genders, decades, and American regions, and each provides thought-provoking insight into various struggles with identity, family, community, and the self. Although this is the first piece of fiction I've ever read regarding the Nation of Islam, which I admittedly know little about, I found each of the ten vignettes highly relatable to my own experiences as well as a helpful window into a community very unlike my own. Bilal's prose is engrossing and her characters vividly real throughout; the reader feels as if they are hearing stories straight from the mouth of the protagonist.

These short stories place Muslim communities at the center of their beliefs and experiences. The dialogue is sharp. The title represents the gathering of a holy place, the temple, with the commonality of folk. I also read about families learning about one another through faith.

I do feel that some of the stories ended abruptly. There could have been more to experience. The settings are not as direct at times.

My favorite story was Woman in Niqab for speaking about going to Egypt and the spirit of a temple for a story mostly about women, thus the title of the short story.

An interesting collection of short stories, Temple Folks took me on a journey of lived-in experiences of the Muslim faith. From politics to sexuality to struggles with the Muslim faith ideals, Bilal provides an eye-opening and retrospective look at black Muslims, a group constantly misunderstood. With a deep dive into race relations, Bilal provides a unique and powerful look at the relationships between black Muslims and white people but also the relationship between Black people and Black Muslims. Even though they are both striving for acceptance and independence, the black community and black Muslims have a complicated relationship that occasionally puts them at odds. I enjoyed most of the short stories in Temple Folk. However, there were times, I wanted the story to continue and go into greater depth so that I could truly understand the experience represented. These experiences are very important and as a woman of color, I believe there are more opportunities for continued critical and thought-provoking discussion. I enjoyed Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal and recommend it for your next read. A big thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

Temple Folk is a collection of ten short stories whose characters are all Black Muslims within the Nation of Islam. The stories are not interrelated, but each stands alone. I don't know very much about NOI, and these stories offered a glimpse into that world. Aaliyah Bilal is a gifted storyteller. The characters felt very real to me, and each story felt emotional and deeply personal. A lot of the characters really resonated with me. I really connected with the stories in this book and look forward to seeing more from Ms. Bilal. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

I was very interested in this book since it focused on the Black Muslim experience. Unfortunately, i didn’t connect with the characters in any of the stories or the writing style which felt very elementary.

I was looking forward to reviewing this book, but with my work schedule, the review copy expired and i was unable to renew it. The introduction was intriguing, though I wish it had included a quick description of the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam, as I can no longer remember them from my high school Comparative Religions class.

aaliyah bilal’s literary debut is a collection of black muslim short stories.

i am so torn about writing this review of “temple folk.” while i found most of the stories very thoughtful and insightful of the black muslim experience, i just really felt that i was out of the loop or missing something. some of the characters are very extreme and the end of the story left me asking “what just happened?” i think these stories are very important, very well written, and very meaningful, just not for me.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An illuminating, thoughtful, and really important read for right now and for always. I'm truly glad I read this!