Book Review: In the Land of Invisible Women
September 14, 2008
A Dr. Quanta Ahmed, British citizen of Pakistani origin, records her experiences as a medic working on assignment in Saudi Arabia.
A Muslim doctor from Britain finds oddities, obstacles for women and enchantment in Saudi Arabia
REBECCA SANTANA (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Most job contracts don’t mention the death penalty, but when Dr. Qanta Ahmed agreed to accept a new job in a Saudi Arabian hospital she became subject to the laws of that country, which, as she writes in her memoir, “In the Land of Invisible Women,” can call for decapitation….
More at Amazon.com.
Entry Filed under: Saudi Arabia, Women. .
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1. Friday Links — September 19, 2008 « Muslimah Media Watch | September 19, 2008 at 10:32 pm
[...] Dr. Qanta Ahmed’s book gets some more press! Via Progressive Muslima News. [...]
2.
Leila Fosnaught | October 4, 2008 at 4:56 pm
While this book captivates you, it is a very hard read. The grammar is difficult and could probably be written in simpler form, for the normal person like me to understand without having to go fish for a dictionary
…. “It made for an arresting dichotomy: the harshness of male supremacy and sometimes visceral misogyny juxtaposed with the intensely tender relations between men themselves, as if the only sensitivities that could be safely displayed were deeply gender segregated.” Page 81 (Veiled Doctors)
dichotomy – ???
visceral – intuitive, primitiveness
misogyny – ??
juxtaposed – put together
I closed the book when I couldn’t put together exactly what this particular sentence was trying to say or express. I’ll try it again when I feel like my brain can endure reading this book. I really do want to finish it, but oh my!
3.
proggiemuslima | October 7, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Leila, I haven’t read the book myself, but from your description I can understand why you gave up. Why do so many authors shun directness and simplicity in their writing?