Here’s the Thing by Haji Mohamed Dawjee

by Ashleigh Pascoe | Aug 3, 2022 | Entertainment

Here’s the Thing is Haji’s second work, which was released in May, and follows the successful Sorry, Not Sorry: Experiences of a Brown Woman in a White South Africa. There is no better way to describe this book other than in the words of Haji’s wife. She describes this work as an accumulation of Haji’s “unapologetic opinions, and the independence of mind that sets her apart from so many of her peers”. 

This book is an enticing read due to the fact that it is not one continuous piece, but is rather split into separate essays – whose focus is not often found in South African media. Haji tackles important political issues, acknowledges her privilege, which allows her piece to offer some insight into what it takes to be a writer of colour. 

However, she does not simply just write about pieces that she is socially and politically expected to write. So by writing this book, she subverts many expectations of authors in our day and age, and this book should be read multiple times over.

*This book was sent to PDBY by Pan Macmillan South Africa.  

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My name is Ashleigh Pascoe and I am doing my Honours in Publishing. This is my fourth year studying at UP. I would describe myself as a bubbly extrovert with a passion for written work and writing!