Love Thy Neighbor: A Muslim Doctor’s Struggle for Home in Rural America.

I actually cried reading this book. People can be so cruel. And ignorant. It broke my heart. This is a true story.

In 2013 with an open heart to serve, Ayaz Virji moves to rural Minnesota to serve at a country hospital, where American doctors don’t want to be. He brings his family and looks forward to building a life in this community with his wife and children.

But then Donald Trump was elected and out of the woodwork of rural America emerged the racism. Virji’s family was faced with anti-Muslim remarks and his patients began to question whether he should be in the country.

Just as he was about to flee for the safety of his family, a local Christian pastor invited him to speak at her church about the misconceptions of Muslim practice and belief.

You want to hope that this open dialogue would make everyone realize we should all just love each other and get along. But it doesn’t. In fact it gets very rough and difficult as Virji finds himself speaking to churches around the state.

My heart goes out to this author and the trials he faced. This book might open some eyes to tolerance, but unfortunately I doubt it will. Rascism is deep and embedded and heartbreaking.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Five Stars for Love Thy Neighbor by Ayaz Virji. Read last week’s review of My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry.

My current read – The Giver of Stars