On the show this week, I’m speaking to Assia Belgacem  a French-Algerian writer and book critic based in Bordeaux, France. Assia runs the Instagram account, @shereadsox, where she writes nuanced book reviews and gives excellent book recommendations. In this episode, we talk about Assia’s identity: Algerian and French, and also about being Muslim in an increasingly right-wing, France. With hijab bans in place in the country, Assia works as a teacher in a government school, where she is unable to cover her hair. We talk about so much, including French and Algerian history, political activism, books and so much more. At the time of recording, It has been almost 70 days since the beginning of Israel’s most recent war on Gaza, where so far over 20,000 people have been killed. Thousands are still trapped under rubble, and shortages of food and water are becoming lethal. Naturally, we talked about Palestine today, too.  Assia's work focuses on decolonization, French politics and African/Swana literature. Follow Assia on instagram: www.instagram.com/shereadsox As always, I hope this episode is interesting and enjoyable! Connect with me on social media, as I'd love to hear from you. www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod  Support the show