A Border Passage: From Cairo to America--A Woman's Journey

I really appreciated Leila Ahmed's thoughtful and informative book, "A Border Passage: From Cairo to America--A Woman's Journey". She grew up a Muslim, in Cairo. Her maternal grandparents were quite wealthy, but when Nasser came to power, most of their wealth was snatched away. Leila tells of her idyllic childhood in Cairo, then her schooling in England. She eventually went on to teach in the UAE and the US. Towards the end of her book, she addressed what it was to be both a Muslim and a feminist. Here is where I could only read a few paragraphs at a time, as I would have to put the book down so I could ruminate over what she had written. It wasn't that it was hard to comprehend, it's just that I wanted to savor the ideas. This is what a good book does. I was enchanted by this book because the first 4/5 were memoirs, and the last 1/5 was a philosophical dissection. Very sweet book. I have recommended it in a chat room as a "must read" book.

The first thing that caught me about this work is the exquisite writing--it made real an unknown (to me, at least) world. At the same time it engaged me in Ahmed's vision of her liberal Egyptian family. She also provides a point of view applicable to the present crises. This book is well worth the time spent reading it.

Beautifully written. Clarifies our understanding of the variety of pressures felt by a young woman growing up in Egypt amid turmoil as well as the new experiences that awaited her in her new land.

I especially liked the chapter about who she was: an Egyptian or an Arab, since this is the sort of self-identification we all can think about. I had heard this question in another context before: what are we first, Americans or Christians.

I have recently read the book, and enjoyed it, I share some of the authors background, I felt that I could relate to what was being discussed, at some points I would disagree with her, but I found it to be a very fun and stimulating read.

The book was beautifully written, and parts of it were very interesting, but basically it was the autobiography of someone who's life wasn't particularly interesting. Ahmed's prose style is very good, but it couldn't carry the book for me. She made some interesting points about Islam and Moslem culture, but they were to few and far between.

I wasn't sure what I would find when I chose this book. But Dr. Ahmed's thoughts on creating her identity and the societal forces that crafted her upbringing are astounding. Her tale of defining herself as a woman, an Egyptian, an Arab, a Muslim, and an American resonated very deeply with me.....

Required book for the coming semester. The book is perfect inside for reading and outside for looking. Completely new. Why it is an second-hand?

A much needed inside account of feminism and Islam.