![]() ![]() Born Margaret Marcus, or “Peggy,” to Jewish parents in Mamaroneck, New York, Jameelah was an intellectual misfit with little use for dating and fashion. ![]() Baker sifts through her papers and finds a tasty subject. The sight of a lone Muslim name in the stacks piqued her interest. But Baker comes away with more questions than answers, along with the story of a seemingly troubled woman.Īn accomplished biographer whose books include In Extremis: The Life of Laura Riding, Baker stumbles on Maryam Jameelah's archived papers at the New York Public Library, where she was "on the prowl" for someone to write about. ![]() The story of Jameelah-an articulate, educated woman who fled America to embrace Allah-would seem to vibrate with timely insights. Baker begins her book apparently hoping Jameelah's unique story might shed light on the toxic, complex relationship between Islam and the West. Such is the case with The Convert, Deborah Baker's portrait of Maryam Jameelah, a woman who rejected life in America to embrace Islam in Pakistan in the 1960s. But it is rare for one to appear impatient-and even somewhat disappointed-with what she unearths. It's not unusual for a biographer to grow unnervingly attached to her subject. ![]()
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