When her poised and sophisticated yuppie assistant at the Cairo bureau of the "Wall Street Journal" suddenly 'adopted the uniform of a Muslim fundamentalist', Geraldine Brooks set out to discover the truth about women and Islam. Sometimes adopting a chador as camouflage, she was granted meetings (and often astonishingly intimate insights) by everyone from Queen Noor of Jordan to former Iranian President Rafsanjani's daughter. She met with Palestinians protesting about 'honour killings' for adultery and sheltered girls transformed into warriors by the Emirates' armed forces. Throughout the Middle East, Brooks was invited into the homes and lives of these women where she found real stories that overturn western stereotypes. Fair-minded and often revelatory, "Nine Parts of Desire" is an extraordinarily rich tapestry of the different lives women lead under Islam, and a captivating and diverse portrait of a little known world.

About the Author

Geraldine Brooks is an award-winning author and journalist. She has written several books of fiction and non-fiction, including the international bestselling novel Year of Wonders and more recently March, which won the Pulitzer. She lives in rural Virginia.

Reviews

Having spent six years covering the Middle East for the Wall Street Journal, Brooks presents an exploration of the daily life of Muslim women and the often contradictory forces that shape their lives. (Jan.)

Fascinating, meticulously reported, and elegantly written Susan Faludi She takes us behind the veils and into the homes of women in every corner of the Middle East ... It is in her descriptions of her meetings that the book excels Observer