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A Tale of Two Omars
A Tale of Two Omars: A Memoir of Family, Revolution, and Coming Out During the Arab Spring | Omar Sharif
1 post | 2 read | 7 to read
"A powerful and essential memoir of self-discovery . . . Brimming with beautiful remembrances of his grandfather and terrifying stories of abuse and homophobia, this is an essential book that shines a much-needed light on the intersection of Arab and queer identity." Abdi Nazemian, Lambda Literary Awardwinning author of Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor Book The grandson of Hollywood royalty on his fathers side and Holocaust survivors on his mothers, Omar Sharif Jr. learned early on how to move between worlds, from the Montreal suburbs to the glamorous orbit of his grandparents Cairo. His famous name always protected him wherever he went. When, in the wake of the Arab Spring, he made the difficult decision to come out in the pages of The Advocate, he knew his life would forever change. What he didnt expect was the backlash that followed. From bullying, to illness, attempted suicide, becoming a victim of sex trafficking, death threats by the thousands, revolution and never being able to return to a country he once called home, Omar Sharif Jr. has overcome more challenges than one might imagine. Drawing on the lessons he learned from both sides of his family, A Tale of Two Omars charts the course of an iconoclastic life, revealing in the process the struggles and successes that attend a public journey of self-acceptance and a life dedicated in service to others.
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Cinfhen
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I‘m not sure what I was expecting but this memoir was full of surprises. Omar Sharif Jr reflects on growing up as the grandson of iconic Egyptian film star Omar Sharif while also being raised by his maternal Jewish grandparents, both of whom were Holocaust survivors. Raised in Montreal, Sharif (half Muslim) attended Jewish Day school, had a Bar Mitzvah, affectionately called his grandparents Bubbi & Zaide and hid from EVERYONE that he was gay.👇🏼

Cinfhen This is his coming out story, as well as a love letter to Egypt, where he is no longer allowed to visit for fear of retribution for his homosexuality. Sharif lays bare some terrifying situations he found himself in, his road to becoming an activist, the backlash he received from both the gay & straight communities and how he found his personal freedom. 3y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa Not a memoir I would have thought twice about…but the content sounds great. Stacking. 3y
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Cinfhen The writing is pretty average but the story is pretty remarkable. Such a blending of cultures and identities @Riveted_Reader_Melissa 3y
Megabooks Not sure if I‘m up for more memoirs, but this sounds interesting! 3y
Cortg Ooh! I put this on my TBR recently. Love a good memoir story. 3y
Cinfhen It was just okay @Megabooks I found it very interesting that he was raised in an Orthodox religious community given his other family background. You can wait for a rainy day to pick this up. It was short though and there was some really crazzzy stuff that happens to him. He becomes a personal assistant to a Saudi sheik and that part was pretty lascivious 3y
Cinfhen It‘s just a very unusual set of identities that OSJ deals with @Cortg and that does make for a good story 3y
BarbaraBB All those prompts! Well done 👌🏽 3y
Cinfhen Totally worth it for all the challenge prompts @BarbaraBB 😂😂 3y
Cinfhen Although his Egypt involves palaces, yachts, cooks, drivers, swimming pools and private planes @BarbaraBB not the most realistic view of Africa 3y
BarbaraBB Omar‘s reality 😜 3y
Butterfinger Wow! I need to read this book. 3y
Librarybelle Wow! I had not even heard of this one! 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Glad to know this one is worth the time! 3y
Smrloomis Wow, totally missed this! Glad you posted it here 😊 3y
Cinfhen I‘ll be curious to hear your thoughts if you get to it @Smrloomis I found it while searching for a book about Egypt @Librarybelle @Butterfinger although I didn‘t learn too much about the country I did appreciate hearing Omar‘s story @BarbaraTheBibliophage 3y
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