Namesake

SHORTLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PROSE PRIZE 2025
WINNER OF THE RSL GILES ST AUBYN AWARD FOR NON-FICTION 2022

'Essential' GUARDIAN
'A masterful tapestry' ERICA BERRY
'Raw and dazzling' FOREWORD

N.S. Nuseibeh's ancestor was none other than the legendary Nusayba bint Ka'ab al Khazrajia who fought alongside the Prophet Muhammad at the dawn of Islam. In Namesake, Nuseibeh draws on Nusayba's stories, comparing her experience as an Arab woman today to the distant past, to discover what courage looks like in the context of interminable conflict.

Intimate and thoughtful, these linked essays offer a remarkable exploration of heritage, gender and the idea of home, and demonstrate how connecting with our history can help us understand ourselves and others today.