N. Jamiyla Chisholm was born in New York City and grew up in Brooklyn. She graduated from City College in New York City, received her master of arts in teaching from the University of Southern California, and received her MFA from the Writer’s Foundry at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn. As a journalist, Jamiyla has written countless articles focused on culture, race, and women, and she has worked with numerous media companies and publications, including COLORLINES, Essence, TIME’S UP, VIBE, and The Source. Jamiyla is an avid traveler, runner, and language learner. She lives in Brooklyn with her cat Reesies.
“Journalist [N. Jamiyla] Chisholm debuts with a transfixing look at the secretive Muslim commune her family joined in 1978…As Chisholm untangles their complicated past and the trauma her mother refused to acknowledge, what emerges is a compassionate interrogation of the ‘universal emotion of desperately wanting to belong’ that her family fell victim to. In its striking search for redemption, this uncovers a uniquely human tale.” —Publishers Weekly“The author expertly balances passion with compassion, and her vulnerability electrifies the often harrowing narrative…A heart-wrenching memoir about surviving a religious group helmed by an abusive leader.” —Kirkus Reviews“Chisholm, a journalist, offers a nuanced examination of how and why people make decisions that harm them, and of the difficulty in extricating oneself from destructive situations.” —Booklist“In her memoir, The Community, Chisholm writes about her experience in the Ansaaru Allah Community, breaking open her memories and lying them alongside the events both historical and contemporary that drew people to York’s Black separatist ideology. The result is a thoughtful meditation on the things that hold us together—and the things that pull us apart.” —Essence“In this compelling debut memoir, journalist N. Jamiyla Chisholm relates the story of her childhood spent in a Muslim cult, the trauma caused and the relationship with her mother that would take years to heal.” —Ms. Magazine
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