Interlink Books
Midnight Tales : A Woman's Journey through the Middle East
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Midnight Tales
Author(s): Rosina-Fawzia al-Rawi
"In actual fact, the only thing that matters in life is love, yet the inquisitive mind must be fed a few facts... Look at Baghdad!" commands Rosina-Fawzia al-Rawi’s lively and imperious aunt Fatima, one of the characters in this delightful collection of personal essays. Aunt Fatima would have approved of this book, for as her niece turns her eye first on Baghdad and then all the lands of the Middle East, ending with her research into women’s customs in the Emirates, she devotes herself as a lover does to all the intimate details around her. Whether she recounts a trip to buy a rug, a childhood incident on a Lebanese playground, or explicates Arab poetry, al-Rawi’s collection is full of all that Aunt Fatima recommends—her beloved poetry, the ever-present history of these ancient lands, tender and intricate accounts of daily life, and quirky, nuanced tracings of the workings of the human heart.
Review(s):
"Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections." -Library Journal "The author's travels through her native region offer insights into Arabic history, culture, and language as well as daily life in the Middle East today."
Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections.
ISBN: 9781566565585
Author(s): Rosina-Fawzia al-Rawi
"In actual fact, the only thing that matters in life is love, yet the inquisitive mind must be fed a few facts... Look at Baghdad!" commands Rosina-Fawzia al-Rawi’s lively and imperious aunt Fatima, one of the characters in this delightful collection of personal essays. Aunt Fatima would have approved of this book, for as her niece turns her eye first on Baghdad and then all the lands of the Middle East, ending with her research into women’s customs in the Emirates, she devotes herself as a lover does to all the intimate details around her. Whether she recounts a trip to buy a rug, a childhood incident on a Lebanese playground, or explicates Arab poetry, al-Rawi’s collection is full of all that Aunt Fatima recommends—her beloved poetry, the ever-present history of these ancient lands, tender and intricate accounts of daily life, and quirky, nuanced tracings of the workings of the human heart.
Review(s):
"Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections." -Library Journal "The author's travels through her native region offer insights into Arabic history, culture, and language as well as daily life in the Middle East today."
Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections.
ISBN: 9781566565585