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 understanding of how accurate and/or balanced they think the picture painted by Ms. Brooks really is. It seemed to be a fair treatment from my perspective, but that perspective is colored by my Western mindset. I'd like to compare notes on this with someone who practices Islam to get their perspective as well.