Geraldine Brooks is truly one of my most cherished authors.

Every single book she has penned showcases a different aspect of her remarkable talent.

This particular book, which was written a full 30 years ago, still holds great significance and has the power to open one's eyes.

The story within its pages is as relevant today as it was back then, offering valuable insights and perspectives.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-read for anyone who appreciates fine literature and wants to be transported to another time and place.

Geraldine Brooks has once again proven herself to be a master storyteller, and this book is a testament to her enduring talent.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to experience this wonderful work of art.

This is an emotionally challenging book to peruse.

The author offers a peek into the confined and frequently brutal realm of Islamic women.

I was astounded to discover how scant the educational prospects are for women in the majority of Islamic countries and how severely their fundamental liberties are curtailed.

The aspect that I found arduous to fathom is the author's depictions of well-educated women who willingly elected to "become veiled," along with all the limitations that this implies.

I surmise that there is not much of a choice, though, when the alternative is incarceration, torture, or even death.

I gleaned a great deal from the book, but the most crucial thing I learned is just how incredibly fortunate I am to be an American!

It makes one realize the vast disparities in the lives of women across different cultures and regions, and how precious and privileged our own circumstances can be.

This book serves as a powerful reminder to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities that we often take for granted.

DNF @47%

"Nine Parts of Desire" is a meticulously crafted and highly informative account that delves into the life of a woman within a diverse spectrum of Muslim cultures, as seen through the eyes of a liberal Western woman.

I embarked on reading this book with the hope of obtaining some profound understanding as to why Muslim women engage in Muslim traditions that often appear to be extremely sexist, demeaning, and oppressive. However, not surprisingly, I failed to gain such an insight. Instead, what I received was a detailed description of numerous sexist, demeaning, and oppressive Muslim practices. Naturally, given that the author is a Westerner.

By the halfway mark, I found myself so despondent that I simply could not persevere. Regrettably, rather than attaining new insights, I fear that I merely had my previously held ideas confirmed, and I am no more enlightened than I was prior to commencing this reading.

It seems that this book, while perhaps well-intentioned, did not manage to offer the kind of in-depth exploration and understanding that I had anticipated, leaving me with a sense of disappointment and a feeling that my preconceptions remained largely unchallenged.

I LOVE Geraldine Brooks.

She is truly an amazingly insightful woman. Her ability to clearly present a difficult concept is nothing short of incredible.

After reading her work, I have a much clearer sense of the Muslim religion. I now understand how men and women who practice it interact with each other and the rest of the world.

Brooks did an amazing job of personalizing all of these women and their lives and stories. She made it possible for someone from a completely different background, like myself, to relate and understand.

I firmly believe that everyone should read this book, especially in the world we live in today.

People should make an effort to educate themselves before simply spouting off at the mouth about being Muslim.

By reading this book, they can gain a more accurate and empathetic understanding of a religion and a culture that is often misunderstood.

It is only through education and understanding that we can hope to build a more harmonious and inclusive world.

Love, love, love.

This is an absolute must-read. The writing is beautifully crafted, with every word carefully chosen to paint a vivid picture and evoke powerful emotions.

But what truly sets this piece apart are its extremely eye-opening insights. It delves deep into the complex and often mysterious nature of love, challenging our preconceived notions and making us look at this universal emotion in a whole new light.

Whether you're in a relationship, single, or simply curious about the human heart, this article has something for everyone. It will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps even change the way you think about love forever. So don't miss out - take the time to read it and discover the beauty and wisdom within.

A must-read peek into the tightly held world of Islamic women reveals their numerous struggles and remarkable triumphs. In a world rife with unrelenting religious clashes, this book calls for empathy. Islamic women often face unique challenges within their cultural and religious context. Their lives are a complex tapestry of traditions, expectations, and personal aspirations. The book delves deep into their experiences, highlighting the discrimination they may encounter, the limitations placed on their freedoms, and the difficulties in balancing their faith with modern society. Yet, it also showcases their strength, resilience, and ability to overcome adversity. Through their stories, we gain a greater understanding of their world and are compelled to look beyond the stereotypes and prejudices. It is a powerful reminder that empathy is crucial in a diverse and divided world, and that by listening to the voices of Islamic women, we can begin to bridge the gaps and foster greater harmony and understanding.

Geraldine Brooks writes stories about the Middle East and Islam.

Her works are often designed to shock and disturb the reader, jolting them out of complacency. At the same time, she also crafts stories that aim to enchant the reader with the beauty of Islamic women's "submission" to Allah and their deep devotion to their families and communities.

The core of her book, in my view, delves into the tension between the idealism of a deeply held faith and the culture that it actually gives rise to.

As Brooks explores the "hidden world of Islamic women," she uncovers contradictions between the teachings of the Koran and the hadiths regarding women and the practices that are culturally acceptable and even necessary in culturally and politically Islamic countries.

Always cautious about imposing preconceptions and Western values, Brooks strikes a balance. She expresses her horror at practices like honor killings and clitoridectomy, and her sorrow for women who are barred from going to school or competing in athletics due to enforced gender segregation and modesty laws. Yet, she also shows respect and affection for the women she met during her travels in Islamic countries.

While her book is far from exhaustive or conclusive and offers only the perspective of a visitor and observer of Islamic culture, I believe Brooks does provide us with an invaluable insight into the struggles, grief, and beauty that characterize the lives of Islamic women.

A Challenging and Devastating Read

This book is truly a challenging and devastating read. I spent months attempting to get through it, not because it is tediously written or overly long. This puzzled me for a while. However, just a few chapters in, it really drills into you a very dark and twisted reality.

I will admit that a book like this is bound to raise eyebrows and attract criticism in some cases, and it is also becoming increasingly dated. I believe the best review for a book like this depends on the passage of time and how much the world around it has actually changed. In the context of today, now that I have finally finished it, and considering how much the world it describes relates to my own life and experience of the subject matter, it is very sad.

But I cannot deny that there is optimism throughout the book. While some may object to the tone it takes in describing the world, there is an undeniable and very sincere attempt to maintain a balanced perspective. It aims to give readers access to the context it描绘s rather than presenting a heated polemic to appeal to the bleeding hearts.

As much as this book can be criticized from that perspective, I don't think the records it presents can be easily argued with. Contention is one thing, but the statistics are as loud and in our faces as they have ever been today.

(Re-read for book club 2014)

Geraldine Brooks is perhaps most renowned for her fiction works such as Caleb's Crossing, March, People of the Book. However, Nine Parts of Desire is one of her earlier non-fiction pieces. It is based on her observations and experiences while interacting with Middle Eastern women during her tenure as a foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.

During that period, Brooks' affluent and highly-educated assistant, a woman described as impressively stylish with hairstyles that "required scaffolding," began to arrive at work first in a hijab and then in a chador. In an attempt to understand this drastic transformation, Brooks realized there was a story in the Middle East. She saw how the misrepresentation, whether accidental or purposeful, of religious texts impacts the lives of all women in the region. She thus decided to seek out these women and try to understand their stories.

Brooks' writing style is anything but dry or staid. She immerses the reader in the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the countries she writes about. Whether it's an interview with Queen Noor, as a not-quite-welcome guest of a village elder, or with the set-aside first wife of a villager, the reader feels as if they are right there.

Brooks does not generalize Middle Eastern women. She clearly distinguishes how women's situations vary from Iran to Egypt to Saudi Arabia and so on. Evidently, she has delved deeply into the Quran and Islam's history, providing a solid introduction to the differences between what is directly attributed to the Quran, what is based on hadith, and what is invented by those in power or those who aspire to be in power. This is not a book that simply portrays Muslim women as downtrodden victims. She relates numerous instances where women in some areas have successfully utilized the tools at their disposal to effect changes in their situations.

Brooks, an Australian and a Jewish convert (though she claims to be, at most, a secular Jew), undoubtedly has opinions. However, considering she is relating first-hand experiences and conversations, some of which put her in danger, she manages to maintain more journalistic integrity than might be expected. Overall, she does a remarkable job of presenting these women's experiences within the context of their history and society. While Western readers may struggle to interpret the material and set aside their Western bias, Brooks reminds us that the reality of these women is their own, and they do not measure their lives by Western standards.

In order to truly understand the material in this book, one must set aside the "Western good, Eastern bad; Christianity best, Islam worst" drivel that we have been force-fed by the media since 9/11. Also, anyone who believes Ronald Reagan was the Second Coming or that the United States is not above covertly manipulating Middle Eastern politics might want to have a stiff drink or take blood pressure medication before delving into this book. Brooks isn't American, and she hasn't bought into the idea that the US is blameless for its government's meddling in the Middle East.

Although slightly dated (1995), I believe the book still offers a highly relevant look into the lives of Islamic women, the culture of the greater Middle East region, and the pros and cons of theocracy. (Of course, from my Western perspective, there are far more negatives than positives.)

3.5* stars!

This is an interesting read that will surely capture your attention.

The story unfolds in a unique and engaging way, taking you on a journey through various emotions and experiences.

The characters are well-developed, each with their own distinct personalities and motives.

The plot is filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, constantly guessing what will happen next.

The writing style is流畅 and easy to follow, making it accessible to a wide range of readers.

Overall, this is a great book that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an interesting and entertaining read.

Whether you're a fan of fiction or non-fiction, this book has something to offer.

So, pick it up and get ready to be swept away!

You won't be disappointed.

I was truly surprised by this book. I had anticipated a concise introduction to Islamic feminism. However, while it did indeed contain elements of that, it was far more of a Western critique of Islamic women's issues.

Written by a nominally Jewish white Australian journalist who spent around a decade in the late 80s and early 90s working and living in the Middle East and establishing connections with women from Iran to Eritrea, the book, though no longer current and undoubtedly an outsider's perspective, does offer a captivating snapshot of the lives of Muslim women under Muslim regimes at a specific moment in time.

The snapshot is often quite counterintuitive. We've all witnessed those contentious Facebook memes comparing life in Iran under the shah to life in Khomeini's revolutionary regime, suggesting that most Iranian women before the revolution were wearing miniskirts and thigh-high boots. In reality, Brooks reveals that the shah's attempt at equality by fiat was a disastrous failure for the Iranian women she spoke to. They were confined at home by traditional families who feared that life in the shah's regime would corrupt them hopelessly. The more traditional society established by the ayatollah's revolution allowed these women to leave home, attend school, host sporting events, teach at university, or enter other occupations.

Then, we've all seen photos of Jordan's glamorous Queen Noor, who, for me at least, always projected an image of a forward-thinking country where women could look up to a queen who wasn't required to hide her face or hair. But Brooks, who became a personal friend of the queen's, shows that Jordan wasn't always like this. Queen Noor and her husband had to navigate religious extremism and international crises on their way to modernizing Jordan, not just for the women. That chapter was the highlight of the entire book and left me in tears – so happy and encouraged that I almost don't want to look at what's happened in Jordan since.

But the usual dark underside is also present – honor killings, FGM, modesty police. I think one of the ways this book is beneficial is that it shows how extremely different it is for women in places like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan, Iran, Eritrea, and so on. Saudi Arabia probably fares the worst, but it's important to note that things have been changing there in the past decade as well. Moreover, Brooks is cautious in noting where a particular practice has its roots in the Quran and/or hadith, and where it does not.

If there is a central message of the book, it is this: At some point, every religion, especially one that claims to encompass a complete way of life and system of government, has to be held accountable for the kind of life it offers the people in the lands where it predominates. It becomes insufficient to look at Islam on paper or in history and dwell on the undeniable improvements it brought to women's lives in the seventh century. Today, the much more urgent and relevant task is to examine the way the faith has become such fertile ground for almost every anti-women custom it encountered in its great expansion out of Arabia.

As I've been studying the history and teachings of Islam off and on over the years, one thing that strikes me as a characteristic of Islam is its reliance on consensus and tradition. If there's a doctrine of "sola Qurana" in Islam, I have yet to come across it. The hadith, traditional accounts of the life of Muhammed, and the sunna, the consensus of the Islamic community (especially what can be historically reconstructed of the consensus of the Islamic community at the time of Muhammed), are regarded as essential sources of Islamic faith and practice. I wonder if this might partly answer the question posed by Brooks. It might also explain why Iran, dominated as it is by the Shia regime which Brooks argues relies less on the authority of the majority consensus due to its adherence to a minority sect, is better able to set aside extra-Quranic cultural accretions than many other Islamic regimes.

In any case, this is one of the more fair and balanced books I've ever read on women's issues in Islamic countries, although I can't claim to be widely read on the topic. Islam is a vast subject, and its adherents are as diverse as those of my own faith, so I don't pretend to understand it completely. However, I enjoyed seeing a few more aspects of the picture in this book. And, as always when reading a critical account of another faith, I couldn't help but notice certain parallels with my own. Christianity also has a lot to answer for in terms of patriarchal traditionalism and extra-biblical accretions. We judge each other in matters of food and drink and clothing all the time, even though that sort of thing is explicitly condemned in the Bible. There are certain mistakes and abuses that are prevalent within all religions, but I have faith that God can bring all of us, in time, to a better knowledge of the truth and a greater love for one another.

I truly despised this book. Right from the very introduction, I felt a sense of annoyance well up within me, and I just knew that I was in for a thoroughly exasperating read. She begins this book by boldly stating that Muslim women are oppressed. What on earth?

bell hooks, in her work "Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black," writes, "When we write about the experiences of a group to which we do not belong, we should think about the ethics of our action, considering whether or not our work will be used to reinforce and perpetuate domination."

In this instance, I firmly believe that she is indeed perpetuating domination. She writes 'about' Muslim women rather than truly telling their story. Not even close. She 'others' them.

What irked me the most, and what I simply couldn't fathom, is how she, as a journalist, is incapable of telling a story without blatantly imposing her own opinions all over it! Karen Armstrong is a religious historian who has penned countless books on various religions and religious figures, including Mohammed, yet one doesn't encounter this kind of blatant personal opinion shining through as in this book. Brooks' portrayal of Mohammed is extremely one-sided. I can't conceive of a Muslim woman not being deeply offended by it. So, it reveals how she views the people she is writing about. It's incredibly insensitive.

She also does a poor job of distinguishing between the religion and the cultures she encounters. Time and time again, she mentions misogynistic practices and outrageous inequality, but it's always attributed to culture. What the heck? If you're attempting to demonstrate how Islam is oppressive, then stop presenting accounts of how different cultures are misogynistic! It's either Islamic or it isn't. You can't discuss misogyny and then claim that it's not Islam. What's your point then?

The only redeeming aspect of this book for me was the stories of the various people she came across. I found that somewhat interesting. I can't imagine living in Saudi Arabia or Palestine. I'm in New Zealand, enjoying freedoms and rights and all that.

I read this book simultaneously with the bell hooks book I mentioned earlier, as well as "From My Sisters' Lips." I thought it would be fascinating to read feminist theory, along with a white woman's perspective on Muslim women, and a Muslim woman's view. Brilliant. I could truly understand what hooks was talking about. And it just irritated me to no end.

"For white and non-white women, black people, and all individuals from ethnic groups who are gay, there have been historical moments wherein each of our experiences were most studied, interpreted, and written about solely by white males... They became the authority to consult if anyone wanted to understand the experiences of these powerless groups. This is the politics of domination."

So, my overall assessment is that she is racist. This was a major disappointment for me in terms of feminism. This book was written a long time ago, so perhaps she has since learned about intersectionality.