From Publishers Weekly
Although hardly a household name in the United States, Saadawi is called by Britain's Guardian, according to her publisher, "the leading spokeswoman on the status of women in the Arab world." The 23 essays--mostly academic papers and speeches to conferences--that make up this collection fall under several general topics that range from women's health to women and Islamic fundamentalism to women organizing for change. A medical doctor who was general director of Egypt's Department of Health, Saadawi was imprisoned by President Anwar Sadat, she claims, after criticizing him for preaching democracy while practicing a dictatorship. After three months, and Sadat's assassination, she was freed by his successor, Hosni Mubarak. The translations of her essays (by various people) tend to be stilted, and Saadawi has a weakness for writing sentences like, "All these different levels of inequality are linked together in the patriarchal capitalism system that governs the world today." But when she abandons jargon and speaks directly about issues of poverty, health and women's role in fundamentalist societies, her book sizzles.
Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
The essays here encapsulate the essence of the work of the most recognizable name in Egyptian and Middle Eastern feminism. El Saadawi, a straight shooter and one of the most controversial Arabic writers of the latter half of this century?she lost her job and was blacklisted and imprisoned for her 1971 book Women and Sex?goes beyond narrow feminist themes. They deal with issues that affect women globally and can threaten their survival, such as identity and equality, social and economic justice, health, religious fundamentalism, and literature. The author analyzes each of these topics in her poignant, penetrating, yet simple style and often adopts a comparative stance, contrasting the condition of women in Egypt and Middle Eastern countries with that in other societies. She never loses sight of the global challenges that all women face. Highly recommended for all library collections and essential for collections about women.?Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
