Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women [B1607]

1995 PB in nice condition except for a few page of highlighted text. An INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER. Pulitzer Prize winning author presents the stories of a wide range of Muslim women in the Middle East. As an Australian American and an experienced foreign correspondent, Brooks' thoughtful analysis attempts to understand the precarious status of women in the wake of Islamic fundamentalism. "Frank, enraging, and captivating." - The New York Times.

Nine Parts of Desire is the story of Brooks' intrepid journey toward an understanding of the women behind the veils, and of the often contradictory political, religious, and cultural forces that shape their lives. Defying our stereotypes about the Muslim world, Brooks' acute analysis of the world's fastest growing religion deftly illustrates how Islam's holiest texts have been misused to justify repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of a once liberating faith. As a prizewinning foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Geraldine Brooks spent six years covering the Middle East through wars, insurrections, and the volcanic upheaval of resurgent fundamentalism. Yet for her, headline events were only the backdrop to a less obvious but more enduring drama: the daily life of Muslim women.

From the surprisingly many recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews for this 30-year old book: "I loved this account of Geraldine Brooks' time living in the middle east, among the women of Islam. It's beautifully written, and at times very heart wrenching and hard to read. I think that reading this after The Handmaid's Tale allowed me to see some of the experiences that were distilled into THT, so I recommend reading them together!"; "Amazing work. With her command of Arabic and her access to the very top of middle east monarchies and religious leaders , she could pull this off. Brilliant!!"; "This is a very telling and interesting look at an extremist world. It should be noted though, that this is a discussion of a radical sect(s) of Islam and should not be confused with traditional Muslim tenets/people. Brooks is an investigative reporter and is an outsider. I would not consider this book an exposé on the Muslim faith, but rather a look at extremists who are a small group of followers from the Arab world."; "I couldn't help thinking about the strong conservative government and religious shifts in the current United States as I read this book. Calls for women to stay at home and birth many children, not take jobs men should have, return to some idealized past where everyone was happy with their 'place' in society, and even the calls to take away voting rights and reproductive rights for women, all harken to the kinds of cultural changes Muslim countries experienced 40 or more years ago. It's worthwhile considering what lessons we can learn from these Muslim countries."