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30th out of 35 books
—
16 voters
The Dancing Girls of Lahore: Selling Love and Saving Dreams in Pakistan's Pleasure District
by
Louise Brown
The dancing girls of Lahore inhabit the Diamond Market in the shadow of a great mosque. The twenty-first century goes on outside the walls of this ancient quarter but scarcely registers within. Though their trade can be described with accuracy as prostitution, the dancing girls have an illustrious history: Beloved by emperors and nawabs, their sophisticated art encompassed...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
July 3rd 2006
by Harper Perennial
(first published July 1st 2005)
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Aug 03, 2011
Petra X
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
popculture-anthropology
Read in January 2011. Edited August 2011 about three times)
This book wasn't what I thought it was going to be - an academic's study on the sex trade in Lahore so all the time I keep hoping the book will get to the nitty-gritty but it never does and it is explained in the afterword that the author does intend to write the sociological book the title implies 'at some point'. In the afterword!
The book is about the time the author spent living with a particular 'dancing girl' and her family in exte...more
This book wasn't what I thought it was going to be - an academic's study on the sex trade in Lahore so all the time I keep hoping the book will get to the nitty-gritty but it never does and it is explained in the afterword that the author does intend to write the sociological book the title implies 'at some point'. In the afterword!
The book is about the time the author spent living with a particular 'dancing girl' and her family in exte...more
20 likes · like · see review
view all 8 comments
I loved this book. I have a very strong streak of wanderlust and this book seemed to put me right in the middle of the red light district of Lahore Pakistan. A place I'll probably never get to see nor particularly want to. But its so much more than a sensationalist or purient tract. Its the story of one main family and other relations and friends. It horrific and beautiful at the same time. Its life as it exists for many in the 3rd world. Its a chronical of child slavery and prostitution but it...more
3 likes · like · see review
Louise Brown is a British academic who has spent many years researching prostitution and trafficking of women and girls as sex slaves throughout Asia. Over a period of four years, she made periodic visits to Lahore, Pakistan. During each visit, she spent a month or two living in Heera Mandi, the official brothel quarter within the old walled city. Her main focus was on one family, consisting of Maha and her three adolescent daughters, but she got to know many other people as well.
The profession...more
The profession...more
An interesting look at the red light district in Lahore. The story is real. The author recounts her experiences with the people she met over years of living amonst them. It has a slight western perspective on many things (Engligh author) but recounts the chaos, emotions, and reality of life in the district very well. What I like most is that through the author's closeness to one family, the reader becomes aware of how difficult it really is for daughters not to inherit their mom's profession. A...more
3,5
Its been some time since I read this book.But it still remain fresh in my mind.Its a sordid world the author presents,with young girls who become prostitutes,sometimes even guided into the world by their own mothers.Seems there is a tradition of that sort of thing in Pakistan More about that here
Womens emancipation has come a long way since we got the vote. That is in the western world. But if you are poor and female in that part of the world...things arent so great.
The author debates with h...more
Its been some time since I read this book.But it still remain fresh in my mind.Its a sordid world the author presents,with young girls who become prostitutes,sometimes even guided into the world by their own mothers.Seems there is a tradition of that sort of thing in Pakistan More about that here
Womens emancipation has come a long way since we got the vote. That is in the western world. But if you are poor and female in that part of the world...things arent so great.
The author debates with h...more
This book attracted me because I am very interested in various forms of ethnic dance and the social positions of professional dancers in different societies. I spend many years of my life studying Egyptian style “Raqs Sharqi”, or what is here referred to as “belly” dance. I lived and even worked for a while as a dancer in Egypt and know firsthand that dance has a very ambivalent position In the Middle East. On the one hand almost everyone there dances. In the “old Days” before the society got s...more
I was instantly attracted to this book the minute it was mentioned. Not just because it talks about hush hush zone of Lahore but also I wanted to see the views of non pakistani Britsh writer.I was expecting a judgemental comments from british writer about Pakistan Muslim society.But I was disappointed. I became a fan of Louise Brown dedication and passion, she spent years living in heera mandi doing her research where women like me are scared to go in bright day light or even mention the name of...more
A flat, almost passive tone and yet makes such an impact. I am a fan of non-judgemental report-like manner in which most of the western authors write. Reminds me of how we were taught to lose our opinion and write facts in our English Language class in school when writing a 'report'. It's not easy to write reports. Such a dedicated and professional take on the subject and yet she can't stop herself from getting emotionally involved which becomes slightly obvious in the 2nd half of the book.
I cou...more
I cou...more
The author is an academic from Birmingham, England. But this book, although written in a matter-of-fact format for the most part, is informative without being dry. Brown writes about her trips to Pakistan from 2000 through 2004, after 9/11. If the author had focused on just Maka and her family the book might have been a bit more concise. All-in-all, I found this book very interesting.
Fantastic review of the middle age women who live within the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan in the Herra Mandi neighbourhood. The life of prostitution and the marriages these girls are forced into at ages as young as 9 - 12 is stunning and unbelievable. The filth they live in, the open toilets they're forced to use is dispicable at the very least. A thoroughly engrossing, interesting page turning novel . You won't soon forget the peope you will meet living in this moballa (neighbourhood).
From d...more
From d...more
A beautifully scripted heart wrenching saga on the turbulent life of Maha( a veteran in sex trade) in the illustrious red light area of Heera Mandi /Diamond Market in Lahore, Pakistan.
Heera Mandi once famous for its artistic aura of courtesans known purely for their dancing and singing skills has now been reduced to a commercial sex factory. A similar fate experienced by the courtesans of Lucknow (India) and the Geishas of Japan.
Brown’s protagonist Maha who is at the dusk of her career (prostitu...more
Heera Mandi once famous for its artistic aura of courtesans known purely for their dancing and singing skills has now been reduced to a commercial sex factory. A similar fate experienced by the courtesans of Lucknow (India) and the Geishas of Japan.
Brown’s protagonist Maha who is at the dusk of her career (prostitu...more
The first time i read it I liked it. But I just tried reading it again and couldn't get into it. This is a great immersion into a culture, especially if you don't know much about Pakistan. But the author spends a lot of time going forth in her cultural discussion between India and Pakistan which made it hard to remember the book is set in Pakistan. And she throws a lot of unfamiliar words at her readers without defining them. The first time I glossed over these, assuming she'd define them, but t...more
I expected this book to have a more indepth attitude to Heera Mandi in Lahore. instead, all the opinions given belong to the author. The dancing girls so to say have not been given a voice and the issue of prostitution is more or less marginalized.
Plus, I found the author somehow too British. She has painted Lahore to be ao primitive and flatters random nonsensical things as if trying to atone for the negative words she has written.
this book was an alright experience but nothing special and ce...more
Plus, I found the author somehow too British. She has painted Lahore to be ao primitive and flatters random nonsensical things as if trying to atone for the negative words she has written.
this book was an alright experience but nothing special and ce...more
This is a facinating true story written by a professor at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. This is her journal of more than four years living in the red-light district among the dancing girls. The author, Louise Brown, speaks candidly about the dilemma of non-interference while performing academic research.
This is not a lurid book, but a very touching and personal look at the women and girls forced to lead a life they did not choose. I hope the author writes more books like this which h...more
This is not a lurid book, but a very touching and personal look at the women and girls forced to lead a life they did not choose. I hope the author writes more books like this which h...more
Louise Brown's The Dancing Girls of Lahore is an ethnography set in Heera Mandi, the historic red light district of Lahore, Pakistan. Brown, a British professor, lives in the district on and off for over four years, documenting the lives of those who live there and immersed in a culture that is, on one hand, woman-owned and woman-centered, and on the other hand, incredibly limiting and rooted in traditional beliefs about gender roles.
Brown focuses much of her attention on Maha and family, an agi...more
Brown focuses much of her attention on Maha and family, an agi...more
A bit graphic, but a very telling book on the most famous Red Light district in Pakistan. Before partition (India and Pakistan) it was well established as a red light district - yet in a very different way. It was considered a place of art. Where musicians and dancers lived. Many of the female dancers would be called on by great rulers and "nawabs" to dance for them and their parties... after-party deals by some dancers were made and expected. After partition, many became Muslim (majority Shia)...more
At times i didn't think i could go on reading this. The subject is so painful and heartrending. But when i finished i felt like i was leaving friends - the women of Heera Mandi.
The author has a ambivalent relationship with Pakistan. When she is there, she is often horrified by the hopelessness of the situation. But she loves the people and their sense of humor and vitality. When she is back in England, she looks forward to returning to Pakistan.
This book is an eye-opener for those who don't real...more
The author has a ambivalent relationship with Pakistan. When she is there, she is often horrified by the hopelessness of the situation. But she loves the people and their sense of humor and vitality. When she is back in England, she looks forward to returning to Pakistan.
This book is an eye-opener for those who don't real...more
As parents go, Louise Brown's are brave. Most of us would cringe if our daughters put themselves in such danger, but HER parents encouraged her by caring for her children when she visited the "mohalla" to research her book. Aside from the danger of living in a veritable den of iniquity, Ms. Brown risks her entire digestive system with the food she eats.
This documentary-style book opens dingy windows into the shady life of the women in a neighborhood of Lahore, Pakistan who earn their living wit...more
This documentary-style book opens dingy windows into the shady life of the women in a neighborhood of Lahore, Pakistan who earn their living wit...more
Very interesting subject but I didn't like the way it was written. The afterward was beautifully written but the book itself wasn't which was a shame. I also found myself wanting more description often, more detail and definitely more focus. The book came together more in the end which was appreciated. Overall I enjoyed reading it, but definitely felt it could have been more.
This is an interesting look at a part of Pakistan that is not often visible, discussed, or considered. The story is well written, covering the lives of many of the different elements of the seedy nightlife in the old city of Lahore. The author primarily follows the life of one family, along with the supporting cast around it. It is intriguing, disturbing, but entertaining all at the same time.
it took a long time for this book to get going. the first 50 pages or so were very dry historical information about kanjiri in pakistan, and that was pretty tough to slog through. but once you get past that, the book is amazing. she wrote very objectively, presenting events and stories in a very straightforward way. she only delved into her personal differences with how people were behaving occasionally--and at those times it was necessary. for example, she discussed the inner conflict she felt...more
This was a challenging read for me. It gave me more insight into a life and a country that I really hadn't given much thought about. I had to Google some things and refresh my mind on a little history, but I liked doing that. I like learning. This book further deepened the appreciation I have for my own country and especially being a woman born in this country. The hardships women face in that part of the world seems unfathomable to me. The USA truly is a land of the free, man OR woman. Thank Go...more
I really enjoyed this fascinating look at a society so far from my reality. It gives an intimate look into the lives of sex workers, the culture around them, and the grave realities they face being born into "the business". Or in some cases (the khusras), the only culture in which they can be accepted for who they are.
I really loved this book. The authors voice made everything come to life & feel so REAL, good or bad, without casting judgment. Sometimes I still wonder about Maha & her girls.. where are they all now, how have their lives unfolded? I read this over a year ago & they stuck with me that much. I totally recommend this book!
May 23, 2008
Kristana
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those who like to learn of other cultures or marginalized groups, or women's issues.
Recommended to Kristana by:
Found it in a bookstore
Very interesting to learn of the cultural aspects and long history behind the plight of the poor women and girls who sell their bodies in the grimey depths of the Lahore slums. You truly begin to see the interdependence of the caste system, families, money, crushing poverty. One is reminded constantly of the struggle to survive and the effort to maintain some dignity in this sad underworld. The author's perspective is fascinating as she completely and obviously did not look Pakistani, yet lived...more
When I started this book, I thought it might be dry and fact driven, with no heart. I was wrong and quickly became absorbed in the lives of the women being interviewed in this book. It details the lives of girls and women in a specific area in Pakistan that, for generations, have been prostitutes. This book was informative, interesting, and well written.
Its a celebration of hidden emotions in form of trite yet abnormal experiences. Its a must read in order to understand the power of freedom of choice many possess, and the sub-choices one must make even when caged without a choice.
I really found this to be an interesting and compassionate but insightful telling of the story of the women who are prostitutes in Pakistan. The timing was very unique as in the later part of the book she deals with the impact as a western woman in Pakistan right after 9/11. I think the book was already fascinating because of the access she was given to the women working in the Pleasure District and their families. I was especially touched by the challenges that comes with being a western woman...more
British journalist living with prostitute in Lahore Pakistan, prior to 9/11. Examines culture of prostitute dancers (almost like Pakistani geisha) and hardscrabble life in poverty.
British academic Louise Brown spends months at a time living and researching the long-established prostitution trade in Lahore, on the Pakistan-Indian border. Extremely respectful of a culture very different from hers, even though at times Brown admits her reasonable anger at both the way her friend Maha, a traditional dancing girl raising modern dancing girl daughters, treats her children and the way the men in society treat all women, but especially the prostitutes they fuck and support, very...more
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“a raped girl is bad for the family: it shows that they can’t protect their women; that they have little social standing; and that they’re not respectable. It’s worse for the victim because once a woman, or a girl—or a boy—is known as the target of a rape she becomes so despised, so shamed, so worthless that she turns into public property. No one is raped only once.”
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5 people liked it
“I’m playing catch with Nisha and Nena. They’re standing against the opposite wall shrieking with enjoyment. They’re teenagers, but they’ve never played catch before and lack any sense of coordination; when they throw the ball to me it flies in any direction. Sometimes it hits the wall behind them. We’ve been playing for half an hour and they have only caught it twice.”
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1 person liked it
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