Islam

In Pictures: How Muslim romance novels became a portal to understand women’s lives in Northern Nigeria
Photography

In Pictures: How Muslim romance novels became a portal to understand women’s lives in Northern Nigeria

Romance, tradition, love and loss in Boko Haram's heartland — When Glenna Gordon stumbled across a Muslim romance novel in Nigeria’s religious north, she entered a world where the rules of love became a barrier - a border that marked the limits of how deeply she could connect. Glenna's book Diagram of the Heart explores the cottage industry of Muslim women writing romance novels in Northern Nigeria, an area best know for terrorist attacks by Boko Haram. Here are Glenna's personal reflections on the project from Huck's Documentary Special III.

Written by: Glenna Gordon

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Issue 80: The Ziwe issue