About me
Samina Ali is an award-winning author, curator, and popular speaker. Her debut novel, Madras on Rainy Days, won France’s prestigious Prix Premier Roman Etranger and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award in fiction. Her Tedx talk, ’“What the Quran Really Says About the Hijab,” currently has over 8 million views. Her writing has been featured in various outlets, from The New York Times to The Economist. Her latest memoir, Pieces You'll Never Get Back, is about how her encounter with death from a nearly fatal pregnancy illness fundamentally changed how she lives. Posing timely questions about faith, hopelessness, and identity, her memoir moves beyond her broken brain to become a mirror for our current fractured society—ultimately providing a roadmap for how we can piece ourselves, and our communities, back together. Named a "Most Anticipated Book of 2025" by multiple outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Pieces You’ll Never Get Back won the APALA Award for Best Nonfiction and has been optioned for the screen.
