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Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women
With a New Afterword
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. Nine Parts of Des...more
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. Nine Parts of Des...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
February 24th 2010
by Anchor
(first published 1994)
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Aaargh. I just wrote a bloody long review of this book then the ******* goodreads website ate it. Anyway, starting over....
" Read, in the name of thy Lord
Who hath created all things, who
Hath created man of congealed blood.
Read, by thy most beneficent Lord,
Who taught us the use of the pen,
who teaches man that which he knoweth not."
The Koran: The Chapter of Congealed Blood
I have been living, working and travelling in the M...more
" Read, in the name of thy Lord
Who hath created all things, who
Hath created man of congealed blood.
Read, by thy most beneficent Lord,
Who taught us the use of the pen,
who teaches man that which he knoweth not."
The Koran: The Chapter of Congealed Blood
I have been living, working and travelling in the M...more
view all 28 comments
Before reading this book, I remember looking at the woman who were completely covered by their berka and thinking how repressed they were. I felt sorry for the freedom they were denied. My landlord at the time gave me his copy and I although I was hesitant, I agreed to read it...and I am so glad I did! The book delves deep into the roots of the Muslim beliefs and allows an outsider to appreciate a custom we would otherwise know little about. I learned that most woman (interviewed) do not fee...more
This should be required reading.... or at least strongly encouraged, this book was written in 1994. THis was entertaining with a lot of research and facts made more interesting by interviewing and living with the people she wrote about. I am buying a copy ASAP (borrowed from the library)
Brooks writes, “because this is the kind of sterile, segregated world that (fundamentalists) are calling for, right now, for their countries and for the entire Islamic world. None of these groups is saying...more
Brooks writes, “because this is the kind of sterile, segregated world that (fundamentalists) are calling for, right now, for their countries and for the entire Islamic world. None of these groups is saying...more
This book is by the author of last year's Pulitzer winner "March", Geraldine Brooks. This was written based on her experiences as a reporter in the Middle East, trying to understand what it's like to be a Muslim woman in a number of different Islamic countries. Along the way, she studies the Koran, shedding some light on Mohammed's writings. My book club read this book long before the current interest in all things Islam. I would recommend it for that reason; Brooks has no politica...more
Compelling, at times horrifying, thoroughly readable non-fiction from the author of March about the modern Islamic world and the man who started it all. I frequently get excited about book-length fiction, but rarely make it all the way through. I actually had to force myself to put it aside to make sure I had a good book to take with me on a trip to New York. My only criticism is that it was published in 1995 and I was left wondering what the latest developments are in these countries.
This is an absolutely fascinating book. Brooks doesn't really bog the reader down with too much "research" - she gives you a good historical and literary background, but she fleshes out that framework with anecdotes from her meetings with Muslim women. Though it is obvious that Brooks abhors the treatment of women under most forms of Islam, she is very careful to show that this is mostly a political issue and NOT actually advocated in the Koran.
I'm currently obsessed with this book. It's coming up in all my conversations. I even made my 102 students listen to a page and a half or so. Fascinating, horrifying, and terribly important stuff for anyone who cares about women and girls, religion, war and peace. I'm reading and re-reading (when I should be reading and writing other stuff!) and hoping I remember it all.
janet
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in Islam and women
Recommended to janet by:
Susan Michael Hoelschen
Shelves:
non-fiction
Now that I have moved away from Arabia after living there for three years, I was ready to read a book about women and Islam. I tend to be dubious about any book that claims to have the real story on this topic, but found this book worth reading.
When I read the title, I thought I was going to learn more about the sexuality of Arabic women. Instead, the book was about the life of Islamic women as wives, mothers, workers, and citizens. In her attempt to understand Islamic women she als...more
When I read the title, I thought I was going to learn more about the sexuality of Arabic women. Instead, the book was about the life of Islamic women as wives, mothers, workers, and citizens. In her attempt to understand Islamic women she als...more
As a non-fiction, I might give this book 4 stars, but compared to fiction, 3 stars is the max. The book read easily and I learned a lot. In the beginning, I had to adjust to how the book was structured, but once I accepted the organization, it made sense.
Toward the end of the book, Brooks asks, "how was it possible to admire her for the courage of her convictions, when her convictions led to such hateful reasoning?" I felt this way throughout the entire book. Part of me wante...more
Toward the end of the book, Brooks asks, "how was it possible to admire her for the courage of her convictions, when her convictions led to such hateful reasoning?" I felt this way throughout the entire book. Part of me wante...more
This book was written in the mid-1990's after Brooks had been stationed as a journalist in the Middle East. I read it before and after 9/11. I think it is still highly relevant today.
Each chapter features an aspect of Islamic culture/beliefs that are practiced today- the wearing of the veil, education of women, clitorectomys, etc. The chapters begin by connecting the issue to the time of Mohammed. Brooks then explores the subject in several Muslim countries that interpret and enforce...more
Each chapter features an aspect of Islamic culture/beliefs that are practiced today- the wearing of the veil, education of women, clitorectomys, etc. The chapters begin by connecting the issue to the time of Mohammed. Brooks then explores the subject in several Muslim countries that interpret and enforce...more
This book was an excellent objective view of Islam and its effects on women. It tells a story of religious fundementalism that has twisted and rewritten doctrine to serve male leader's purposes and control and subjegate women to the role of not only servants but non-entities. The interesting thing to me and the thing I just do not understand is that these women(and I think women in other cultures as well) are held responsible and ordered to dress and act in certain ways because they are a threat...more
A very well researched book about women's issues (culture, traditions, etc) in different Islamic cultures, Afghanistan, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, etc. The only reason that I did not give this book 5 stars was that I believe that it needs to be updated, based on changes in Pakistan, Iraq,etc. It should be a must read for all those who want to better understand Islam. The reader goes away with an appreciation of how a religion affects everyday life for millions of people around the world. The contradict...more
This is certainly an interesting book. I do think it needs to be clarified that it is about the world of Middle Eastern Islamic Women, and that much of what is discussed has to do with culture/tradition and as much as Islam. The author does a pretty good job of clarifying this, but we don't get to hear anything about, say, US Islamic women or Latin American Islamic women...Also, the further I get into this book, it is clear to me that the author approaches the subject with a clear agenda, not ...more
This book offered an interesting glimpse into the world of Muslim women in a variety of Muslim countries. I thought that Geraldine Brooks did a nice job exploring various practices and attempting to trace the roots of these practices back to the Koran. Written in the mid-90's it was interesting to read about the rise of fundamentalism in the Mulsim world written about pre-9/11. I would be interested in discussing this book with someone who is from an Islamic tradition to try to get a better u...more
I read this book on a recent and hasty trip to central america - and the stories of the women are compelling, to say the least. It is told from a woman's perspective, so clearly there is some bias, but I found myself outraged, as I always get when the subject of religion comes up - that a bunch of old men make the rules for everyone else, based upon no more than the whims of their personal tastes. I found it to be a little bit confusing as she jumps from country to country in her discussion (a...more
This was a VERY interesting book! It was published in 1995 though so its probably a little outdated (hopefully things have gotten better since then but from what I've seen on the news I'm guessing its probably just gotten worse). In this book Geraldine Brooks travels all over the Middle East (as an international reporter) making friends with all sorts of women who's lives are affected by Islamic laws, misogynistic men, and resurgent fundamentalism. Although sometimes she talks about dates that a...more
This book should be required reading for any American at this point in history. It was written in the 1990's by a journalist, Geraldine Brooks, who covered the middle east and it is eerily prophetic (although the author certainly didn't intend that) for what was to come in September 2001 and beyond. The book takes us into the lives of women in Islamic countries. It is based on a part of the Koran that says "Almighty God created sexual desire in ten parts; then he gave nine parts to women an...more
This is an in-depth, compassionate, and fascinating book. I especially recommend the first half and the conclusion, which describe the origin of hijab (the prophet's wives' seclusion), its uses and effects inside and outside the home, the Muslim view of sexuality ("sex without foreplay is a form of cruelty to women"), the reasons for the revolution, and then offer a respectful and realistic way to approach cultural differences; the second half reads more like discrete articles (on topi...more
Have you ever wondered about the women covered from head to toe? You know that they are Muslim, but do you know anything beyond that?
Geraldine Brooks, in her highly accessible book, explains the plight of Muslim women in the Middle East. She travels from country to country, meeting women and sharing stories with them. From her time with Queen Noor in Jordan to her belly dancing stint in Egypt, Brooks learns about women and their religion and their religion's limitations.
...more
Geraldine Brooks, in her highly accessible book, explains the plight of Muslim women in the Middle East. She travels from country to country, meeting women and sharing stories with them. From her time with Queen Noor in Jordan to her belly dancing stint in Egypt, Brooks learns about women and their religion and their religion's limitations.
...more
This was a quick and interesting read. Incorporating historical fact, stories of Muslim women as diverse as a Palestinian mother in a refugee camp to Queen Noor of Jordan, as well as the author's own personal experience as a journalist in the Middle East, this book paints a detailed picture of women in the Islamic world. There are some very positive images in here - particularly with regard to Iranian women, but also negative ones (Saudi Arabia leaps readily to mind). In the final chapter, ...more
This is an emotionally difficult book to read. The author provides a glimpse into the constricted, often brutal world of islamic women. I was astonished to learn how little educational opportunities there are for women in most islamic countries and how their basic liberties are severly limited. The part I found hard to understand is the author's descriptions of well educated women who voluntarily chose to 'become veiled', including all the restrictions that entails. I guess there is not much coi...more
Given this book is 13 years old, I wish I'd read it when it first came out. Very well-written mix of personal vignettes and factual investigation. I kept wondering what my niece, who converted to Islam five years ago, would think of it. As an atheist, I find it hard to understand faith in general but Islam seems a particularly strange religion for women to adopt given the misogyny that has collected, hardened and been disseminated through the hadith over the centuries.
On a separate ...more
On a separate ...more
I LOVE Geraldine Brooks. I think she is an amazingly insightful woman who has an incredible ability to clearly present a difficult concept. I feel like I have a much clearer sense of the Muslim religion and how men and women who practice it interact with each other and the rest of the world. She did an amazing job of personalizing all of these women and their lives and stories for someone from a completely different background. I think that everyone should read this book, especially given the w...more
I think we have a moral obligation to not hide our heads in the sand in the face of certain issues. The physical, emotional, and mental welfare of women and children are some of these issues. I really think that this book is essential for any person who wants to consider themselves an informed human being. This is a relatively short book that looks into the traditional role of women in Islam. It also explores where things have gone wrong, are still going wrong, and what is being done to fix the ...more
enlightening, objective, informative, and very well-written. I would highly recommend this book.
What I got was different than what I thought. I expected this book to be biased after having read my friend's review of the book. It was much more different, but of course a lot of this work pushes different buttons in different people based on how you come to the book. As far as the conversion, yes, she doesnt take it seriously as it happens but she shows an inverse amount of courage once she converted, only once lying about her religion no matter what country she is in. And as far as it de...more
Chimimanda Adichie claims, "There is no single story." Among the Muslims living around the world, there is no single story. I have always known Geraldine Brooks as an incredible author of historical fiction. This is an "anthology," per se, of the "stories" of women Muslims she has met as a journalist, and has come to know quite well.
Geraldine sets the stage with the "liberal" father of Muslims, Muhammed. His wives worked. He put one of his w...more
Geraldine sets the stage with the "liberal" father of Muslims, Muhammed. His wives worked. He put one of his w...more
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Non fiction. If you like books like Thousand Splendid Suns; I Am Nujood, 10 and Divorced; Reading Lolita in Tehran; etc. for their cultural and historical content and story of the plight of women in Islam then you will probably appreciate this book. Geraldine Brooks lived among these women, interviewed their leaders, listened to their insights, and baked bread with them. She deals with the intricacies of Islamic law in each of the Muslim populated countries, inlcuding (but not limited to) Egy...more
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women is the story of Brook's 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. In fundamentalist Iran, Brooks finagles an invitation to tea with the ayatollah's widow - and discovers that Mrs. Khomeini dyes her hair. In Saudi Arabia, she eludes the severe segregation of the sexes and attends a bacchanal, laying bare the hypocris...more
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Geraldine Brooks (born 1955) is an Pulitzer Prize-winning, Australian-American journalist and author.
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“While I would champion any campaign to support Muslim women who do not wish to cover. I would now also protest vigorously for the right of a woman to wear that covering, if it is what she wants and believes in. Ayatollah Khomeini and Jacques Chirac have much more in common than either of them would care to acknowledge. Each tried to solve overarching social problems by imposing his will on the bodies of women.”
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