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Nine Parts of Desire : The Hidden World of Islamic Women

geraldine brooks

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Geraldine Brooks spent two years as a Middle East news correspondent, covering the death of Khomeini and the like. She also learned a lot about what it's like for Islamic women today. Brooks' book is exceedingly well-done--she knows her Islamic lore and traces the origins of today's practices back to Mohammed's time. Personable and very readable, Brooks takes us through the women's back door entrance of the Middle East for an unusual and provocative view.

This is about the hidden world of Islamic women.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1994

This edition

Format
272 pages, Paperback
Published
January 1, 1996 by Penguin
ISBN
9780140244656
ASIN
0140244654
Language
English

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About the author

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geraldine brooks

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Australian-born Geraldine Brooks is an author and journalist who grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, and attended Bethlehem College Ashfield and the University of Sydney. She worked as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald for three years as a feature writer with a special interest in environmental issues.

In 1982 she won the Greg Shackleton Australian News Correspondents scholarship to the journalism master's program at Columbia University in New York City. Later she worked for The Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans.

She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her novel March. Her first novel, Year of Wonders, is an international bestseller, and People of the Book is a New York Times bestseller translated into 20 languages. She is also the author of the nonfiction works Nine Parts of Desire and Foreign Correspondence.

Brooks married author Tony Horwitz in Tourette-sur-Loup, France, in 1984. They had two sons– Nathaniel and Bizuayehu–and two dogs. They used to divide their time between their homes in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Sydney, Australia.

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
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100 reviews All reviews
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SubaChuva
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Fascinating, but so sad!

Brooks is an amazing author. I vividly remember reading her "People of the Book" years ago and being completely captivated. Now, as I delve into "Nine Parts of Desire," I am once again in awe. Her experiences are truly remarkable. Having spent 6 years working in the Middle East, she has amassed a wealth of firsthand knowledge that she so expertly shares with us.

What particularly fascinates me is the diverse range of ways in which Islam and the Koran, as well as the treatment of women, are interpreted in different countries. It is both eye-opening and thought-provoking. Brooks' writing is so engaging that it makes me want to learn more about this complex and often misunderstood region.

Overall, "Nine Parts of Desire" is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the Middle East and the role of Islam in modern society. It is a powerful and poignant work that will leave a lasting impression.
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ilovebeck
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I live in Dubai and know numerous people, apart from myself, who have read this book. I am an American, and one might assume that my perspective would be similar to Brooks'. However, that's not the case.

It is indeed true that there are extreme, evil, awful, and simply wrong things that occur in the name of fundamental Islam, and I have shared such stories with my expat friends. But both I and everyone I know who has read this book have been left with an unpleasant feeling.

Brooks is a very good and engaging writer, and I did learn certain things from this book, so I wouldn't completely disregard it. However, I found myself wondering why Brooks has such an agenda to convince the world of Islam's evil. Perhaps she is bitter due to her own experiences during the years she spent reporting in the Middle East.

Brooks selects many specific extreme examples and attempts to balance them with positive stories, but she always concludes on a negative note. I would have liked to see more discussion about the places in the world where Muslims live alongside other religions in relative tolerance. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, the government makes a concerted effort to inform people about the difference between the cultural traditions of Arabic lands and the practices that are actually derived from the Koran.

I felt the book omitted a necessary discussion about the Muslim women (and men) who left their home countries when fundamentalist regimes came to power. How many such Muslim communities exist in the world? In Europe, for instance. And yet, the book tries to attribute the injustices it discusses solely to Islam rather than the regimes in power in the Middle East. Brooks seems to imply that, yes, there are Muslim countries where things aren't so bad, but still, all the problems they do have originate from Islam.

If you are willing to put in the effort to read a lot more to balance Brooks' perspective with more information, then it is probably worthwhile to read this book. On the other hand, if you only read one book about Muslims, do not choose this one.
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Belelle
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This is an extremely intriguing set of snapshots that vividly depict the lives of Muslim women who are living in (mostly) extremist Muslim settings.

The writing style employed here is truly compelling and deeply thought-provoking. It has the power to engage the reader and make them reflect on the various aspects of these women's lives. However, at certain moments, I found myself slightly confused as I lost track of precisely which country or city the story was unfolding in.

Moreover, I could have done without the rather over-the-top "shoulds" that were present in the conclusion. It seemed a bit forceful and perhaps not entirely necessary.

Overall, this is a very nice series of real-life stories of Muslim women, skillfully told by a non-Muslim female journalist. While it is certainly not the complete and comprehensive story of all Muslim women, it is still a good read nonetheless. It has successfully inspired me to delve deeper and read more about this often misunderstood population.

I am eager to explore and understand their experiences, cultures, and struggles in greater detail.
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Hero49
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This is an unusual genre for this author.

An absorbing account of the lives of Islamic women as seen by Australian journalist Geraldine Brooks is presented here.

Geraldine Brooks has a unique talent for bringing to life the stories and experiences of people from different cultures and backgrounds. In this work, she delves deep into the world of Islamic women, exploring their joys, sorrows, and struggles.

I have always loved her historical fiction, and this book is no exception. I was truly moved by her experiences and the way she portrays the lives of these women.

The book offers a fascinating insight into a world that is often misunderstood and misrepresented. It is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about Islamic culture and the lives of women within it.

I would highly recommend this book to others and give it 4 stars.
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BlueMoon01
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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This book was penned prior to 9/11 and before the prejudices against Muslims had become the norm. I have an absolute admiration for Geraldine's courage. She journeyed all the way from Eritrea's frontiers to Iran, objectively documenting the lives and problems of Muslim women in all those places.

She wasn't afraid to express her own Western opinions on matters such as the hijab. She was also extremely honest about the suppressed bigotry of simultaneously advocating for religious freedom while disliking one of its visual manifestations.

Geraldine was likely one of the first writers to reveal that a great deal of what Westerners associate with Islam stems from the Wahhabis. Their practices are more rooted in tribal cultures rather than Islam, and their actions go unchallenged by Western governments due to the economic advantages the West reaps from countries like Saudi Arabia.

She is the first Western writer I've come across who points out that Chirac and Khomeini belong to the same category, both desiring in their own ways to address deeper issues by superficially treating symptoms, such as controlling how women dress.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It offers a unique perspective and valuable insights into a complex and often misunderstood topic.
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undercolin
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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I read this when it first came out in 1995, which was 26 years ago. It truly was an eye opener to me. I am deeply grateful for Geraldine's offering of this. At that time, this was not the norm for publishing. However, in these last 26 years, publishing has indeed become a lot broader in terms of the global people scope.

It is our hope that it will continue to be more expansive. May we hear the voices of more people from all over the world. Let us open our hearts wider and truly listen to each other. By doing so, we can gain a better understanding of different cultures, perspectives, and experiences. This will not only enrich our own lives but also promote a more inclusive and harmonious world.

We should embrace this change and look forward to the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead in the world of publishing.
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issayori
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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Before reading this book, I vividly remember looking at the women who were completely covered by their burkas and thinking about how repressed they seemed to be. I truly felt sorry for the freedom that I thought they were denied.

My landlord at that time gave me his copy of the book. Although I was initially hesitant, I finally agreed to read it...and I am extremely glad that I did!

The book delves deep into the roots of Muslim beliefs and enables an outsider like me to gain an appreciation for a custom that we would otherwise know very little about. I learned that most of the women interviewed in the book do not feel repressed by being fully covered in their burkas. Instead, they are proud to wear them and actually prefer it to not wearing one.

The book also explains how, according to the beliefs, God gave men one desire and women the remaining nine, which is why there is a need for them to cover.

A friend in college, Zeneb, who was from Turkey, fully agreed to being fully covered at all times when men were around. She never really explained her religious beliefs to me. She simply said that's how she interpreted her faith. When I finally saw her at an "all girls night" at my house, I was able to see not only her exterior beauty but also her inner beauty. Reading this book has brought me closer to her and to all the women I once believed to be repressed. It has opened my eyes and made me understand their choices and beliefs in a whole new light.
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YannHawari
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
July 15,2025
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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, delves deep into the plight of Muslim women in the Middle East. She embarks on a journey from country to country, meeting these women face to face and sharing their stories. From her encounter with Queen Noor in Jordan to her unexpected belly dancing stint in Egypt, Brooks gains profound insights into the lives of these women, their religion, and the limitations it may impose.

Sometimes their experiences are truly frightening, while at other times they are simply different from what we are accustomed to. Brooks presents these experiences without any prejudice, allowing the reader to form her own opinions about this complex religion.

The book is not only easy to read but also inherently interesting, captivating the reader's attention from start to finish. It offers a unique perspective on a topic that is often misunderstood or overlooked.

3/1/08
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