Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
6th out of 50 books
—
88 voters
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom
by
Qanta A. Ahmed (Goodreads Author)
"In this stunningly written book, a Western trained Muslim doctor brings alive what it means for a woman to live in the Saudi Kingdom. I've rarely experienced so vividly the shunning and shaming, racism and anti-Semitism, but the surprise is how Dr. Ahmed also finds tenderness at the tattered edges of extremism, and a life-changing pilgrimage back to her Muslim faith." - G...more
Paperback, 454 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Sourcebooks
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
OK, I only awarded this book two stars, for the sole reason that it is not terribly well-written. But it has some definite redeeming factors that should compel you to at least skim through it if you have the chance. The subject matter, suppression of women in Saudi Arabia, is one that intrigues and infuriates me no end, and Dr Ahmed has done a good job in conveying the psychology of living under such conditions. It does do strange things to the mind when your every move is scrutinized, when you...more
This is a wonderful and very disturbing book. The author is a Moslem of Pakistani descent who was born in London and grew up in a very assimilated family. She became a physician and moved to the US for additional training. Then, not knowing what to do with her life, she decided to spend a couple of years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She thought that because she was Muslim, it would not be a problem to adapt, but she was totally unprepared for Saudi mores. I highly recommend this book for understandi...more
4 likes · like · see review
Dr. Ahmed writes a compelling memoir based upon her two years as a resident physician in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She writes from a western woman's point of view, as well as from a Muslim woman's point of view, and interjects her observations about the internal conflicts that exist among both Saudi men and women. Dr. Ahmed comments on her personal journey to Mecca and the heart of Islam, as well as the difficulties the educated elite face as they hurdle towards the future with hopes of uplifting th...more
If Goodreads so allowed, this book would get 3.5 stars. It's interesting and enjoyable but certainly the product of a first time author. Her recollections at times felt quite vague and at others filled with details with no rhyme or reason to why in each section. She would talk about something urgently coming up and being a big deal (Ramadan) and then the next chapter Ramadan was already over, with nothing about it. She also has a habit of introducing characters, telling a story about them and th...more
1 like · like · see review
Review Now 3 Years Later (Dec. 2012) It's been several years since I read this book and it has stayed with me!! I relate a lot of current, middle-eastern events --with what I learned in this book.
At the time, it seemed like I would never get through with it. Looking back now, I don't really remember the length, but rather the information that I learned.
Review from 2009: Lots of complaining about a place she volunteerily went to and stayed in. It was interesting information about the customs of...more
At the time, it seemed like I would never get through with it. Looking back now, I don't really remember the length, but rather the information that I learned.
Review from 2009: Lots of complaining about a place she volunteerily went to and stayed in. It was interesting information about the customs of...more
This book overall was extremely interesting....it deals with the plight of women in The Kingdom (Saudi Arabia). It follows the journey of a British Muslim women educated in Britian and the US as a doctor. She goes to the Kingdom on a 3 year contract as an ER doctor. I felt that at first she was being honest and than as the book progressed she became reticent and even understanding of how women are treated! She is a highly educated intelligent women and yet she could not even drive a car or even...more
Five stars for the topic, which is absolutely fascinating. One star for the writing, which tends toward the dreadful. Dr. Ahmed is a British Muslim woman of Pakistani heritage who is board-certified in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, critical-care medicine, and sleep-disorders medicine. When her US visa ends, she takes a position at a government-run hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her book focuses on the cultural clashes and differences she encounters while trying to live in the most rep...more
I found this to be a very frustrating book. Either the author is conflating circumstances to create a "good" story or she is the most willfully uninformed person.
I can't understand how a well-educated woman could sign on to living in Saudi Arabia for 2 years and show up with no covering. How incredibly ignorant. She came from New York so she doesn't have the excuse of lack of access to proper attire. I could walk from my house in Brooklyn and get an abbaya!
She (supposedly) at the last minute de...more
I can't understand how a well-educated woman could sign on to living in Saudi Arabia for 2 years and show up with no covering. How incredibly ignorant. She came from New York so she doesn't have the excuse of lack of access to proper attire. I could walk from my house in Brooklyn and get an abbaya!
She (supposedly) at the last minute de...more
I have really thought long and hard about what it is that I wanted to say about this book and why it has been so important in my life as a reader. It is difficult to say what I find most compelling about this book since I have always been a feminist and have never understood a culture that would not accept women as equals and even less than that as property.
The heart of this book is the contrast from east to west and what it means to be a woman raised in one place with a fair understanding of wh...more
The heart of this book is the contrast from east to west and what it means to be a woman raised in one place with a fair understanding of wh...more
Review from Read that also
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom. I took this book to read with a fair amount of trepidation. Having loads of Muslim friends, I had found many of the books about Islam hopelessly prejudiced. But you have to hand it over to Qanta, the author of this memoir for keeping an open mind. It was the obvious lack of prejudice in the apparent view point of the author and the effort she took in reaching out to people and understanding...more
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom. I took this book to read with a fair amount of trepidation. Having loads of Muslim friends, I had found many of the books about Islam hopelessly prejudiced. But you have to hand it over to Qanta, the author of this memoir for keeping an open mind. It was the obvious lack of prejudice in the apparent view point of the author and the effort she took in reaching out to people and understanding...more
The author has done her readers of all faiths and nationalities a service by writing this memoir of her time in the Kingdon of Saudi Arabia as an ICU doctor. While her position, shielded by the royal family, afforded her great privilidge, it also allowed her to better understand her own Islamic beliefs.
One of the really interesting aspects of this story is seeing that for Ahmed, part of the trip to Saudi Arabia is a homecoming, a chance to experience a culture smiilar in religious beliefs to tho...more
One of the really interesting aspects of this story is seeing that for Ahmed, part of the trip to Saudi Arabia is a homecoming, a chance to experience a culture smiilar in religious beliefs to tho...more
2 likes · like · see review
A coworker of mine loaned me this book so that I could learn more about Saudi culture since the majority of our students are Saudi. I did learn a lot about Saudi culture, and it made me want to learn more, which I think is always a compliment to a book. However, this book had a lot of issues that warranted it 3 stars when it had the easy premise to be an outstanding and conversation-provoking book.
Ahmed has the unique perspective of being a British Muslim of Pakistani parents who completed her m...more
Ahmed has the unique perspective of being a British Muslim of Pakistani parents who completed her m...more
3 likes · like · see review
For many adherents of the Islamic faith, finding acceptance among the Muslims is part of one’s journey. This is especially true for those who accept Islam as their religion and for those who shift from lackadaisical practice to more dedicated adherence. Dr. Ahmed shares with readers her experience of discovering the complexities associated with being a different kind of Muslim woman in a static Islamic context. Saudi Arabia, perhaps best known for producing America’s greatest perceived enemy, is...more
A western Muslim doctor goes to work for a foreign government for two years. The hitch? She's a female in Saudi Arabia.
This was a surprisingly good read. While the writing is more colloquial than many like, to me it keeps they book from feeling like it was ghosted by a reporter, or edited by someone who might have a political axe to grind. It seems that this piece is exactly what it presents itself as, the story of a woman living in the rapidly changing political and social climes of Saudi Arab...more
This was a surprisingly good read. While the writing is more colloquial than many like, to me it keeps they book from feeling like it was ghosted by a reporter, or edited by someone who might have a political axe to grind. It seems that this piece is exactly what it presents itself as, the story of a woman living in the rapidly changing political and social climes of Saudi Arab...more
This author brings a lot of passion to her book, a memoir of two years of her life spent working as a physician in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Maybe a little too much passion. Her writing style is too florid for me, her vocabulary a bit far-fetched; I had the sense she was writing with a thesaurus at hand. She often seemed to get carried away with her descriptions of characters, to the point I had trouble believing the people she met could really be THAT beautiful, THAT magnificent, THAT talent...more
3 likes · like · see review
This is an absorbing story well worth your time. Dr. Qanta Ahmed is a British Muslim woman, of Pakistani-born parents, who took her medical training in the US. Her visa expired and wasn't renewed at the end of her trianing, so she took a job at the National Guard Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As Dr. Ahmed is Muslim, she was interested to practice medicine in Riyadh and immerse herself in her religious background more fully. She discovers the huge gap between her understanding of the true nat...more
Aug 14, 2010
Shannon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who want to know more about women in Islam.
Shelves:
social-history
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Truly an astounding journey into a foreign culture. Though a non-fiction, which I usually avoid, I was hooked to the book from page 1. Saudi Arabia has been an alien country to me. I haven't come across it much in my previous reads. I just knew that it is full of oil and rich sheikhs and there is extreme suppression of women. I was made aware of the extent of suppression of not only women, but also men, through this eye opener. I loved the people I came across in this book. Most of the Saudi peo...more
If I could assign negative starts to this book, I would.
Do you know someone who loved this book? Did they recommend you read it ASAP? Let me ask you something about that person. Is he/she a good story teller or do they tend to prattle on and on?
Ahmed's writing is repetitious and overly descriptive about EVERYTHING. I'm not sure what her editor was thinking letting the book go to print in it's current condition. In my opinion, if the editor had done their job, the book would be at least half of...more
Do you know someone who loved this book? Did they recommend you read it ASAP? Let me ask you something about that person. Is he/she a good story teller or do they tend to prattle on and on?
Ahmed's writing is repetitious and overly descriptive about EVERYTHING. I'm not sure what her editor was thinking letting the book go to print in it's current condition. In my opinion, if the editor had done their job, the book would be at least half of...more
9 likes · like · see review
I wasn't sure how to rate this book. I went in hoping to learn about Dr Ahmed, her experiences working in Saudi Arabia. I wanted to know about the women she cared for and her feelings about them.
It's not really what I got. I found her more of a spectator in her own story, rather than her own experiences. They are touched upon, but in far less depth than I had expected in a memoir.
I did however, learn far more of the intricacies of the Muslim faith. I like to think that I knew more than the ave...more
It's not really what I got. I found her more of a spectator in her own story, rather than her own experiences. They are touched upon, but in far less depth than I had expected in a memoir.
I did however, learn far more of the intricacies of the Muslim faith. I like to think that I knew more than the ave...more
given all the islamophobia that has ensued in the US recently (especially since 9/11), i wanted to read a book written about islamic society by a muslim writer. this book was about 3 bucks on amazon, so i decided i would give it a go. i actually really enjoyed this look into saudi society by a british/american expat (of pakistani descent). this book has a feminist focus, and it explores the growing role of women in saudi medicine. i found it really interesting to hear about saudi society in gene...more
So I kind of did not expect what this book turned out to be... at all. I was operating under the assumption that this memoir would be more clinical in nature, describing more explicitly the barriers to practicing in Saudi Arabia as a female doctor - and maybe including barriers to treatment for women, epidemiology, etc. I think I forgot this memoir was written by a doctor and not a public health official (oops).
Still, this was much more a memoir of Dr. Ahmed's daily life than the actual trials o...more
Still, this was much more a memoir of Dr. Ahmed's daily life than the actual trials o...more
I have had rather high expectation of the book. Yet it turned out to be a letdown for various reasons. The book did tell me something about people, culture and the Muslim religion in Saudi Arabia but things remain pretty superficial throughout. I have a particular dislike of the detailed descriptions of the brands of clothes people wear and cars they drive. Are these really necessary to show the affluence of the Saudis?
I think the author is simply trying to tell us how difficult it is for her to...more
I think the author is simply trying to tell us how difficult it is for her to...more
Aug 05, 2011
Connie
added it
I enjoyed this book, although I didn't think the writing was amazing. The author uses lots of pretty words, but sometimes I felt that she was using them just for the sake of being pretentious. The best part of the book involves the author's description of Hajj. I learned a great deal about this ritual by looking up additional information so I could envision the places she describes. The author has a love/hate relationship with Saudi Arabia. On one hand, its restrictions and mandatory veiling cha...more
I hear so much about how oppressive it is to live in a fundamentally Islamic country, but it was difficult for me to imagine what that is really like. Honestly, not that many people write about the specific details of Saudi life, and most of them are not women. Like I always wondered when they have to be veiled, who has to be veiled, who exactly is cracking down on all of this, and whether or not people actually live by it or not. I actually became a little frightened to hear how serious it all...more
I've read some reviews that complain that this book is a grammatical mess, and that is not at all what I found. I suspect that there may have been an earlier version available prior to editing, so put that fear aside if you wish to read this book.
I found this book thought provoking and I was engaged wanting to learn more about her experiences. There were some parts that dragged a bit for me, but that didn't detract from my overall appreciation, but that is what causes me to give it 4 stars, as o...more
I found this book thought provoking and I was engaged wanting to learn more about her experiences. There were some parts that dragged a bit for me, but that didn't detract from my overall appreciation, but that is what causes me to give it 4 stars, as o...more
I found this book to be incredibly powerful. Ahmed shows the beauty of Islam in a way I, a non-Muslim who grew up in America can understand, while showing distortions and drifts that so limit and harm. She shows too the struggle of individuals of the Saudi Kingdom, as well as the Kingdom itself, to adapt to and redefine in the modern world. This while maintaining identity and the eternal Truths of the religion which gives all gravity. It's as if the reader travels with her and gets pulled up dow...more
This is a book I could not put down. Learning all of the differences in our countries and religions was educational and very interesting. Qanta Ahmed, is a medical doctor, raised in London and New York who goes to Saudi Arabia to work in ICU at the hospital of Riyadh. During her time there she experiences male chauvinism in the hospital and the city. Quanta learns a part of her own religion by going to Mecca while on her two year stay at the hospital. Quanta experiences parties and other social...more
This book was absolutely fascinating. Go get it and read it. I’ve read lots of books written by Westerners going to live in Muslim countries, and of course I have been a Westerner living in a Muslim country. I have read books by Muslims about living in Muslim country (example: Dreams Of Trespass: Tales Of A Harem Girlhood, which I recently reread and highly recommend) But In the Land of Invisible Women is written by a Western, secular Muslim (from London, with a Pakistani background) who lived a...more
May 11, 2009
Beth
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who are curious but healthily skeptical
Recommended to Beth by:
an American woman who lived in KSA
Unfortunately this book reads like a dragged-out Readers Digest piece. It's largely made up of reconstructed conversations with Saudis during which they "tell" her simplistically how things work in the Kingdom ("You see, Qanta, here in Saudi Arabia we...." [etc:]). But she'll present these various cultural situations without fully contextualizing them; though to be fair, having been there for only a couple of years in a highly specialized environment, she may not have had the opportunity to gras...more
4 likes · like · see review
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Dr. Qanta Ahmed (MD, FCCP, FAASM) is one of the top multi-disciplined physicians and medical specialists in the country—licensed in both the United States and the United Kingdom. She is an educator, consultant, researcher, guest lecturer at medical universities and sought-after speaker at medical conferences.
Among her many honors, Dr. Ahmed has served as Diplomat of the American Board of Internal...more
More about Qanta A. Ahmed...
Among her many honors, Dr. Ahmed has served as Diplomat of the American Board of Internal...more
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
“I remember being thirteen years old, sitting in my room all night, listening to the same song over and over. I thought that if I could write something beautiful, something honest, I could make someone love me.”
—
6 people liked it
More quotes…
Oct 18, 2011 11:45am
Aug 17, 2012 11:45am