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Nine Parts of Desire
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women | Geraldine Brooks
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 Desire is the story of Brooks' 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. Defying our stereotypes about the Muslim world, Brooks' acute analysis of the world's fastest growing religion deftly illustrates how Islam's holiest texts have been misused to justify repression of women, and how male pride and power have warped the original message of a once liberating faith. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Messiejessie
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Pickpick

Written by Geraldine Brooks in 1995 about the women she met and their experiences, when she was working as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East.
A difficult but informative read. I‘m glad to have read this.

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BekaReid
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Airport reading

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Blueberry
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1. I give them to a used bookstore in exchange for a book credit.
2. A few days
3. Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Muslim Women

#WonderousWednesday @Eggs

Eggs Thanks so much for joining in 🌺📚🤗👏🏻💗 5y
43 likes1 comment
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
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I agree with the criticism of others that this book is dated and often condescending, but I'm still glad I read it. I have personal reasons for reading quite a bit about Islam right now and I feel I learned a lot that can guide me in future reading. I'd love something vaguely similar that is just more recent, although I guess preferably written by a Muslim woman rather than a Westerner.

batsy I found this an illuminating read. She doesn't pander to anyone and makes her political views clear, but her depiction of the varied lives of Muslim women in Muslim societies was very interesting 5y
Centique @batsy oooh that looks good too. Stacked 🙏 5y
Chrissyreadit @MommyWantsToReadHerBook I think the other consideration may be one of culture not religion. Muslim women vary significantly just like Christian Women. I‘ve worked with women and families who embrace different views of Islam based on their personal history . 5y
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MommyWantsToReadHerBook @batsy thanks for the recommendation! 5y
MommyWantsToReadHerBook @Chrissyreadit definitely. I enjoyed most the fact that she gave portraits from several different cultures. 5y
Reggie I think you might like this one which is an essay collection of 19 Arab female journalists. 5y
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Blueberry
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Currently reading for my f2f bookclub. I didn't know Geraldine Brooks had written any nonfiction or was once a journalist.

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Cinfhen
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#NovemberByTheNumbers This was a bookclub choice many years ago...it‘s a NF account of author Geraldine Brooks‘ time spent in the Middle East as a foreign correspondent. The premise was interesting but the book seemed judgmental and out of tune. ( It was written in 1995) I think there are probably better book choices today, especially more “genuine” than a white privileged journalist opinions on Islam & Muslim women. #Nine

emilyhaldi Very astute observations! Amazing how much can change in 20 years 7y
Cinfhen Thanks @emilyhaldi ❤️hard to believe 1995 was 20+ years ago!! Yes, LOTS has changed but still so much more needs to happen... 7y
llwheeler Good to know! I had this on my library wishlist but didn't realize this. Sounds like I can skip this one and look for something better 7y
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Cortg Have you read Inside the Kingdom by Carmen Bin Laden? I read it years ago and found it fascinating. 7y
Cinfhen Yes @Cortg it was fascinating good suggestion for @llwheeler 7y
llwheeler @Cinfhen @Cortg thanks for the suggestion! 7y
Cinfhen I "read" my copy through audio on OverDrive! The author reads it which felt like an intimate conversation between girlfriends @Cortg @llwheeler 7y
ValerieAndBooks I read this about 10 years ago and I remember that even back then was thinking that it needed some kind of update! 7y
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Magic_Kiwi
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I'm not gonna lie, that book was extremely difficult for me to get though and finish. I cried many times and got so angry I threw it across the room.
But you know what, though I'll never reread this book again, I'm glad I took the MANY months to finish it.
I didn't read it because I was forced to, I choose it alone and made the dedication to finish something I won't normally pick up. Though this book is dated, it was still a hell of a read.

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MrsMalaprop
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#MayBookFlowers #SetInTheMiddleEast

We read this for book club years ago @Jeg. (My choice I think?)

Geraldine Brooks was a foreign correspondent in the Middle East and wrote this book about the lives of Muslim women she encountered.

I recall that it was very good. It would be interesting to read it now, 20 years on, to see whether it remains relevant.

Cinfhen My book club read this too...very informative 7y
lynneamch Pretty picture! I haven't read this one, but liked 7y
ValerieAndBooks I read this years ago and found it very interesting. 7y
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Zen
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At times informative, at times disparaging and over simplifying Religion and the course of change. I am not an expert about the religion or culture but Brooks' judging tone was off putting. Need to read this with a grain of salt. Or teo

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Vexingcircumstance
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This is a recommended book for #readharder for travel memoir. I didn't really read it as a travel memoir when I read it but I did really love it and need to re-buy it. It is a really good book. #geraldinebrooks #islam #equality

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wellitworkedlasttime
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I have just finished this book. I strongly believe that before making any judgments about anyone, you must put yourself in their shoes. You can't assume that just because their viewpoint doesn't match your own that they are wrong. The author of this book adopts this approach. She doesn't preach to either believer or non-believer. She delivers an easy to read book with plenty of research and accounts from real women. #mustread #whatcanireadnext?

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GoneFishing

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.

LeahBergen Good book! 8y
wellitworkedlasttime Newcomer onto the app but already set about ordering two books from my newsfeed including this one. Dangerous! 8y
26 likes4 stack adds2 comments