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In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom
Di Qanta Ahmed
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Inizia a leggereDescrizione
A strikingly honest look into Islamic culture?—in particular women and Islam?—and what it takes for one woman to recreate herself in the land of invisible women.
Unexpectedly denied a visa to remain in the United States, Qanta Ahmed, a young British Muslim doctor, becomes an outcast in motion. On a whim, she accepts an exciting position in Saudi Arabia. This is not just a new job; this is a chance at adventure in an exotic land she thinks she understands, a place she hopes she will belong.
What she discovers is vastly different. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a world apart, a land of unparalleled contrast. She finds rejection and scorn in the places she believed would most embrace her, but also humor, honesty, loyalty and love.
And for Qanta, more than anything, it is a land of opportunity.
Very few Islamic books for women give a firsthand account of what it's like to live in a place where Muslim women continue to be oppressed and treated as inferior to men. But if you want to learn more about the Islamic culture in an unflinchingly real way, this book is for you.
"In this stunningly written book, a Western trained Muslim doctor brings alive what it means for a woman to live in the Saudi Kingdom. I've rarely experienced so vividly the shunning and shaming, racism and anti—Semitism, but the surprise is how Dr. Ahmed also finds tenderness at the tattered edges of extremism, and a life—changing pilgrimage back to her Muslim faith." — Gail Sheehy
Azioni libro
Inizia a leggereInformazioni sul libro
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom
Di Qanta Ahmed
Descrizione
A strikingly honest look into Islamic culture?—in particular women and Islam?—and what it takes for one woman to recreate herself in the land of invisible women.
Unexpectedly denied a visa to remain in the United States, Qanta Ahmed, a young British Muslim doctor, becomes an outcast in motion. On a whim, she accepts an exciting position in Saudi Arabia. This is not just a new job; this is a chance at adventure in an exotic land she thinks she understands, a place she hopes she will belong.
What she discovers is vastly different. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a world apart, a land of unparalleled contrast. She finds rejection and scorn in the places she believed would most embrace her, but also humor, honesty, loyalty and love.
And for Qanta, more than anything, it is a land of opportunity.
Very few Islamic books for women give a firsthand account of what it's like to live in a place where Muslim women continue to be oppressed and treated as inferior to men. But if you want to learn more about the Islamic culture in an unflinchingly real way, this book is for you.
"In this stunningly written book, a Western trained Muslim doctor brings alive what it means for a woman to live in the Saudi Kingdom. I've rarely experienced so vividly the shunning and shaming, racism and anti—Semitism, but the surprise is how Dr. Ahmed also finds tenderness at the tattered edges of extremism, and a life—changing pilgrimage back to her Muslim faith." — Gail Sheehy
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Recensioni
I enjoyed this book. Accompanying Qanta Ahmed as she spends two years in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is as much an eye-opening and spiritually enlightening experience for the reader as it is for the author. From the beginning and her concerns about fitting into Saudi society, despite her Muslim faith, to the ending realization of how much she has learned and changed and become stronger for her experiences, Qanta shows us a side of the Saudi people and the Muslim faith we would find nowhere else. Some of the lifestyle of Saudi people is difficult to understand or relate to from a western viewpoint, but Qanta describes it well. From the frustrations of not being allowed to be independent in such simple things as driving, dining in public, or shopping unaccompanied, to the difficulties of just doing the job she is trained to do while working in a male dominated society. And yet she finds that the women of this society are finding ways to effect changes that western cultures take for granted, and they do it all within the parameters of their society and with the aid of forward-thinking fathers and husbands. I recommend this book to anyone who has a curiosity or is looking for a better understanding about Saudi Arabia or the Muslim faith.
Rating: 5A memoir of a female physician who, having been denied an American visa to stay in the US, went to work in Saudi Arabia. A Western Muslim brought up in England, she thought she would easily fit in, but was nevertheless shocked by an oppressive society in which both women and men are unable to fully express themselves. What emerges from the glimpses she provides is a curious mixture of Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Victorian England. It’s sad how risky behaviours, jewels and stifling wealth serve in many cases as a substitute for meaningful connections, feelings and passions. Most of the writing is quite good, informative and insightful; there are a couple of chapters that could safely be re-written, but overall it’s very interesting, and I never lost the zeal to read it.I liked the format, and didn’t mind reading it off my computer screen at all.
Rating: 4In the Land of Invisible Women, by Qanta A. Ahmed. This book left me with ambiguous feelings. On the one hand, it is a lively and informed description of life in Saudi Arabia, seen through the eyes of a woman who is both a Westerner (by education) and a Muslim. This unique perspective allows the reader to travel with her in a country that seems both modern and archaic, and to understand better both the manifestations of this situation and the reasons behind it – come to mind the explanations about the recent history of the country, and the mutations in the Saudi way of life. In the same vein, the contrast between her understanding of her faith, and the way it is understood and applied in this country, is also interesting, and will probably help Westerners to understand better that this religion is far less monolithic than it may seem from afar. On the other hand, some of the characterisations seemed to me, if not quite unidimensional, at least marked by such an obvious goodwill that they became less realistic. Does this aspect indicate a kind of self censure – a misguided attempt to compensate for the more critical aspects of her description, perhaps? If that's the case, there was no need: the construction of the narrative, the standpoint of the narrator itself, and her empathetic perspective, provided by themselves balance enough between the different aspects of the book.
Rating: 3Was able to understand a bit more on how the women and even men of the middle east are treated not only by their governments, but also each other. Made me glade I live were I do.
Rating: 5Dr. Ahmed, a British-born Muslim, takes a job in Saudi Arabia. For two years, she struggles with the extreme sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia she encounters there. Simultaneously, she has several intense religious experiences, and seeks to reconcile the two.
Rating: 3This book is sooooo very interesting. It is a love story It is about religion It's about politics. It is about slaves. It is about life I could not stop reading it once I started each chapter covered a new topic while still linked to all that went before. I learned so much with so little effort and while having fun . It is a living book the best kind to spend your time on.
Rating: 5This is the story of an ethnically Pakistani woman who was raised in England, received her medical training in New York, and then decided to spend a few years (2000-2001) practicing medicine in Saudi Arabia. This book started off as a very interesting read. For the first half I was totally absorbed and amazed by life in Saudi Arabia. It was hard to believe that such an oppressed society could really exist in this day and age. Her descriptions of life there seemed so alien, but at the same time she would describe people who are completely (of course) human. It seems to be such a strange combination of darkness and enlightenment. I also really enjoyed the author's descriptions of Islam and how a lot of what the Muslim extremists do is in direct conflict with her view of what Islam truly is. It was good to have that insight into Islam to counterbalance the Muslim extremists I often see in the news who seem to value death above all else. While in Saudi Arabia she went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, which she recounted in amazing detail that I very much enjoyed. On the other hand, her description of the reaction of the people while she was there during 9/11 was gut-wrenching. She witnessed people cheering the deaths of 3,000 innocent people in America. Staff at her hospital even ordered cake in celebration. Jubilation seemed to be the unanimous reaction of all of the Saudis she spoke with on and after that day, even the ones she thought were more enlightened than others. It's hard for me to imagine being happy for the deaths of 3,000 people, no matter who they may be. It's even harder to imagine what it must've been like for her to have to watch her colleagues cheer and eat cake in celebration of murdered Americans who may have been her friends from her days of training in New York.Unfortunately, about halfway through this novel I started to find some of the descriptions pretty tedious. It was all more of the same and I was getting bored. I also didn't like the last chapter, where she went back to Saudi Arabia after leaving for several years. Her descriptions of the changes from the time she left to the time she returned were cursory and abrupt. Frankly, I found the ending chapter to be a little disappointing because throughout the rest of the book she was telling us how bad things are in Saudi Arabia and then suddenly she tacked on "P.S. things aren't so bad now." I would have preferred if she had started out the book by saying "Things aren't so bad now, but this how they used to be a few years ago." That would've at least put me in the right frame of mind.
Rating: 4I've had this book for ages but since it was a PDF I found it really difficult to read on the computer, I finally was able to borrow an ereader which was way better. I found the story intriging but at times difficult to follow as the writer seem to jump around and I often had difficulty keeping track of who was who. She often contradicted herself in the same chapetr usually having to do with the amount of freedom the Suadi male has. It's definitely worth a read if your interested in finding out how women are treated and see themselves in ther Saudi Kingdom.
Rating: 4This lengthy book is not a story as such, but a series of experiences; essays describing the author’s stay in Saudi Arabia. As a result of the format there is some duplication of details. A very long section relating a pilgrimage to Mecca was long enough to have been published as a separate work. The narrative, in the early chapters especially, does not flow easily, sounds somewhat stilted, and includes many passages of purple prose. Tighter writing would have produced a book that comes across as more spontaneous, candid, and less pretentious.I found the author’s sympathy with Saudi men hard to understand considering their oppression toward women. In places prejudice was viewed as if it merely amounted to dainty Victorian-style manners. Repeated remarks about ultra-expensive brand names gave a shallow, materialistic quality throughout. (Yes, I know Saudis are incredibly rich but can you really identify Graff diamonds from any other – and under a black muslin veil to boot?) The overall impression I got from Ahmed’s book was not complimentary.
Rating: 2Qanta Ahmed's "In The Land of Invisible Women" serves fairly well as a window into a particular part of Saudi Arabian society around the turn of the century. Ahmed, one of the few female doctors working in Saudi Arabia during her tenure, does have a flair for description. It does overindulge in it a bit, and wander, however.Part of this aimlessness shows up in the narrative - there's no real sense of time in the book, as it jumps around and has no reference points. This is mostly fine - the book is as much about Saudi Arabia and its people as it is about Ahmed's experiences there - but can be slightly confusing in terms of the characters there. And the section on her pilgrimage to Mecca seems to end somewhat abruptly.But the strength of the book comes in seeing how the slice of Saudi Arabian life Ahmed moved in worked at the turn of the century - it's fairly fascinating, and her tendency to indulge heavily in description works to the good more often than it does in terms of flowery overreach. (The latter is most frequent in clothing description and so on). What's fascinating is not just the way the people deal with the government, but how the strict sex separation and everything else has affected the way people grow up and interact.Ahmed's not the best writer, but her prose usually isn't enough to detract from the frequently fascinating stories in "In The Land of Invisible Women"; while the book doesn't say much about politics, it says a lot about the people, and that's probably more important in learning about the no longer so distant Saudi Arabia.
Rating: 4I really enjoyed reading this narrative much more than I expected. More than being a mere accounting of Quanta's experiences as a woman in Saudi, this is a recounting of a journey. Quanta's growth spiritually, socially, and personally is wonderfully illuminating for someone who has never understood the Muslim culture and customs.Though I don't usually enjoy reading medical accounts, the portions of the book that take place in the hospital are handled with grace and delicacy. Not once is a patient's story told just for the sake of telling it, but rather it always fits in with a lesson that Quanta wants to impart.Overall, absolutely worth reading!
Rating: 4This book has definitely open a whole new world to me. Whilst I know vaguely of how oppressed women are in countries such as Saudi Arabia, I've never really explored it any deeper. Whilst the author herself is a Muslim, she has lived a Westernised life which granted her freedom of choice & speech. In this book, we explore what it is like, from a Westernised viewpoint, of life in the Saudi Kingdom, especially for a woman. Being a woman in a western world myself, I was fascinated and infuriated with certain events & views.I think this book is written as a memoir in dedication to the author's Saudi Arabian friends who are working for a better future of Saudi Arabia especially for the welfare of women & children. Good on them! I'm more than glad that the book ends with a note of hope and not bitterness on the part of the author.
Rating: 3A stunningly well-written look into the Saudi Kingdom. The book is exceptional and "Doctora Qanta" did magnificently capturing everything from the grand glories of the Kingdom, to the minute and mundane (which are often the most important things in life).My only qualms with the book were as follows:1) cast of characters - exceptionally large and very often new characters would simply appear out of thin air and be treated as though the readers had known them their entire lives - only for them to never be seen again.2) citations and notations - it was very difficult to tell what was a footnote and what was a an end note (though I blame the editor on that one), and there weren't nearly enough of them. As a history major with minors in Middle Eastern studies and the Arabic language, I knew a great deal of the information before hand, but even then I found myself "googling" a lot of terms. I tremble to think how a lay-person would have handled this book3) Whatever happened to the professor she met at Mecca? Did she ever take her up on her offer of visiting? 4) Her occasional contradictions of herself - in one chapter she talks about how the men have unlimited freedom akin to their western male counterparts that often leads to reckless behavior, then barely a page later she says that in the Kingdom men were just as restricted in their thoughts and actions as the women due to the mutawaaen and others.Other than that I'm absolutely in love with the remarkable job this book did of opening up Saudi Arabia to me. I've always been desperate to visit (especially after dating a Saudi national). Her book just reinforces that desire.Until the day Saudi Arabia opens it's doors to single, christian women without male chaperons, I will have to rely on Qanta's memoir to envision myself there.
Rating: 4I love dystopias like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and that Clive Owen movie, Children of Men. I imagine the aim of stories like those is to test how much of our natures is just situation-specific: are we still human when deprived of the basic human rights and freedoms that we claim to hold dearly? It's much scarier when the dystopia is real - as Qanta Ahmed's story of her year living as a doctor in Saudi Arabia makes clear. Saudi Arabia expects all women to wear head-to-toe veils in public at all times and never appear in public without a male chaperone - it makes no exceptions for citizens of other countries, even solo travelers - like Ahmed - invited to practice medicine there at a hospital endowed by the royal family. When I downloaded this book to my Kindle as part of the Early Reviewers giveaway, I wasn't expecting the book to be written from such a strong Western perspective - I thought that surely someone who opted to go to Saudi Arabia would have known what to expect, and would have fit in there in a way that a red-headed American like me couldn't possibly relate to.But the culture clash for Ahmed was just as visceral as it would have been for a non-Muslim - from the moment she first donned her veil, she perceived it as an eraser trying to wipe out her identity. Though inside the hospital she is allowed her to speak to her male and female colleagues and remove the veil from her face, outside on the streets she was a virtual prisoner of the fanatical, nearly hysterical moral police. As an unmarried woman with no male relatives in the Kingdom, she risked jail every time she attended a going-away party off the hospital grounds. As her year progressed, though, she got to know her male and female colleagues and saw that underneath the veils, behind the high walls of their private homes, they were bright, passionate, political, and most amazingly, comfortable. The rigid rules about public conduct had not sunk beneath the surface. The runaway oppression of women in public doesn't extend to family life, where Ahmed found most women were happy in their marriages, had a voice and control over their personal spaces, made friends and found ways to work, even though outside they were unable to drive, hounded by testosteronal Saudi men who have no outlet for their aggression, unable to speak in public, and forbidden from shopping in most stores. Ahmed never gets used to the public spaces in Saudi Arabia, but develops a deep appreciation of her Muslim faith and the Saudi people she meets, especially during her pilgrimage to Mecca. As a reader, I also understood by the end that Saudi Arabia is not a monolithic gulag, but it remains - for Ahmed as well as me - just as inscrutable and impenetrable at the end as it was in the first chapter.
Rating: 4This is an autobiography of Dr Ahmed. She has a two year stint as a doctor in ICU in Riyadh. She is a Muslim but isn't used to the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia. The women here in Saudi Arabia is somewhat repressed. Women cannot do anything. She was born in Pakistan and raised in England and does a residency in the US. An excellent read.
Rating: 5Dr. Ahmed's personal account of her time spent working in Saudi Arabia has a fascinating premise and a lot of potential. However, I was disappointed by her execution. The book begins well with a retelling of her decision to work in Saudi Arabia and her first impressions of professional and social life there. The writing is engaging, but often uneven. For someone who is often describing how shocked she is by what she sees as narrow-mindedness and prejudice among the men she works with, she herself betrays a lot of condescension and judgment toward some of the Saudi people, based purely on external first impressions. Quite early in the book, Dr. Ahmed takes a long detour to discuss her rediscovery of her religion by detailing her participation in the rites of the Hajj. This part of the content seemed at odds with the description on the book jacket, but I found the topic interesting; however, Dr. Ahmed's treatment of this subject was not consistent with the rest of the book. Whereas in other spheres of Saudi life, she viewed the local ways from a Western perspective and was very willing to question them, when it came to Islam, she quickly abandoned her relatively Westernized and secular approach to the religion and accepted the fundamentalist practices as the correct ones. She describes a scene during the Hajj in which several Saudi women are reprimanding her for her way of praying and giving her minute corrections, and how her initial confusion and annoyance gives way to gratitude for the women's willingness to teach her about the correct way of practicing her religion. I think many readers would have found a more nuanced treatment of Saudi Islam to be enlightening, but it seems that Dr. Ahmed, while rebelling against most of the social rules of Saudi society (which are based on fundamentalist Islam), fully accepted Saudi Islam itself. To me, it seemed rather illogical.As someone who enjoys words, I was often irritated by a kind of pretentious misuse of them in Dr. Ahmed's book. Obviously, Dr. Ahmed is highly educated in her professional field, but she constantly aims to use more sophisticated language than is in keeping with the rest of her narrative, and quite often does so awkwardly or incorrectly. There were many cases which I found jarring, and in flipping quickly through the pages, I found these: - "checked-in under anonymous names" (p. 263)- "Expatriates teemed the lobbies"- "I scrabbled to formulate a plan" (p. 271)This might not be so important to some readers, but what irked me about this misuse of language is that Qanta frequently emphasizes her high level of education and sophistication and contrasts it with those of many Saudis. Her imperfect command of written language belies her portrayal of herself and makes me mistrust the truthfulness of other aspects of her book.
Rating: 3In the Land of Invisible Women, Qanta Ahmed's memoir of the two years she spent as an ICU doctor in Saudi Arabia, provides an intimate glimpse into Saudi culture. Thanks to her inquisitive nature and eye for detail, she was able to write a telling memoir about an extremely reserved society. Ahmed covers everything, from dating (or the lack thereof) and marriage, to medicine, to the practice of Islam - all in vivid detail. Her descriptions of her experience in Saudi Arabia often seem paradoxical. Throughout the book you get a feel for the alternate confusion, elation, and disillusionment the author felt as an ex-patriate in the Saudi kingdom. Best of all, you will feel as if you are right there with her, viewing the country through her eyes.Ahmed wasn't particularly dedicated to her faith prior to her stay in Saudi Arabia. While there, however, she embraced Islam in a new way and in her memoir she shares her religion with the reader, which was very enlightening to me. It didn't feel preachy, just informative. All religion is nuanced and varied upon closer inspection and Islam is no different. The form embraced by Ahmed felt liberal and progressive, and according to her, that is the true Islam.My only complaint about this book is that it could have used a little more editing. There are several grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Ahmed dedicates nearly 100 pages to a description of her participation in Hajj, an important rite of passage in Islam, when it could have been covered in half that. While frustrating at times, this did not keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book. I've never looked at Iran in the same way since reading Elaine Sciolino's Persian Mirrors, and I now feel the same about Saudi Arabia. After reading Qanta Ahmed's intimate observations of daily life in the Saudi kingdom, and her descriptions of the people she came to know while living there, I feel as if I've looked inside a book that I previously judged only by its cover.
Rating: 4This memoir of a British/Pakistani female doctor who spends two years working in Saudi Arabia was an interesting look at life in a bizarre culture, horribly restrictive to woman and even unkind to the men who live in its grip. I felt that the author could have been more concise in talking of her personal social relationships. But this was a revealing look at how a Western Muslim woman found a way to exist (thankfully temporarily) in a extremely fundamentalist world.
Rating: 3The journey of a western-trained Muslim woman to learn more about and connect with her religion through her work in a hospital compound in Saudi Arabia.
Rating: 4Quanta Ahmed is a British-born Muslim woman who considers herself a New Yorker. She accepts a two-year position as an ICU physician in a Saudi Arabian hospital in 1999-2000. Her first task is to purchase an abbayah, the head-to-toe covering she will wear every time she steps outside her home or the hospital she works in. Despite the western educations of many of her colleagues, the sexism and religious extremism she experiences are shocking. As an American it's hard to comprehend a society where men won't look a woman in the eye or shake her hand. Women are not allowed to drive, be in the company of a man not their husbands, rent a hotel room, or travel outside the country without the consent of a male family member. Somehow despite the repression and disrespect, she is able to strengthen her Muslim faith. While the insight into such a different society was fascinating, I found it hard to understand how she could remain friends with those who revealed themselves not only as sexist, but also outspokenly racist.
Rating: 3I unexpectedly, completely enjoying this book. The portrayal of her life as a woman seemed to be balanced and fair. The description of her trip to Mecca was very facinating, and the description of the religious police was chilling. I will recommend to my friends.
Rating: 4This book is very uneven and would benefit from some serious editorial attention. The style sometimes attempts self-consciously to be 'literary', and even allowing for the fact it is aimed at the American market, there are some strange turns of phrase employed. The constant references to designer labels and premium brands are a lazy form of description and assume a common interest in high-ticket price consumerism.These concerns aside, Ahmed gives a surprisingly vivid and accessible glimpse of what life in Saudi Arabia was like at the end of the 20th century and in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. While the book will appeal more to women than men, it seems clear that the only way for a Westerner to begin to understand Saudi culture is through the eyes and experiences of women. At its best, the book portrays warm and engaging characters who are well rounded and frequently betray any stereotypes that might be assumed by the reader.The book contains a thorough if personal critique of Islam from the perspective of one of its adherents, and does much to encourage an understanding of moderate Islam. The author's own religious experience brings an emotional and spiritual depth to her faith which is challenging to those of us who tend to see Islam as a rather dry and legalistic religion.One hopes that this book will encourage Westerners of whatever religious background to engage with their Muslim neighbours and colleagues, and that greater understanding and acceptance will result on both sides.Despite the reservations I have about some aspects of this book, I would recommend everyone to read it so they can appreciate that Islam comprises a wide range of beliefs and practices, most of which are moderate, compassionate and inculcate values many of us share.
Rating: 3I absolutely loved this book, a fascinating account of life for women in Saudi Arabia. The author is a Muslim, who has been raised in the West and who then takes a job in Saudia Arabia. It is fascinating to follow her journey in her new country. It opened up a whole new world for me, and I was particulary interested in the tensions between her religion and her feelings as a woman. I read this as an e-book which was a new experience for me. The book has a very accessible style which helped, because I've actually found reading it on the computer more difficult than I would have thought and I think I might not have made it to the end had I not enjoyed the book so much. If I'd had this in book form and been able to hold it in my hand, I would have finished it in a couple of days, but having to read it on the laptop felt a bit of a chore. Testament to the book that I did finish it.
Rating: 4This is an excellent book which reveals the diversity of thought and ways of living among those who call themselves Muslims. Written in a friendly tone, this book helped me picture what life is like for contemporary women of Saudi Arabia. I felt heartbroken for the Saudi people living under the cruel oppression of Wahhabi extremism but was happy to learn that courageous women like Maha are tirelessly and patiently working to help bring about desperately needed changes for their country. May they find success beyond their wildest dreams!
Rating: 4I had a hard time reading this book in electronic form; I downloaded it as part of the ER program and I don't think I would download a book again. The book was moving and fascinating (what part of it I read- I didn't come close to finishing) but I found the format really difficult to deal with and it definitely prevented me from enjoying the book more.
Rating: 3Qanta Ahmed's memoir In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom is a fascinating account of life in Riyadh for a working woman. Ahmed is an Englishwoman and a doctor, who had been living and working in the United States. When her visa expired and was not renewed, she decided to take a job working in a hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Although raised in a Muslim family, Ahmed's family was not strictly devout and because they lived in England, Ahmed had never experienced living under Islamic law. When she gets to Riyadh, the male escort that is required to get her through customs is the first of many injustices she faces as a woman in this country. One of her first tasks is to buy an abayah, which covers the whole body except for the face, feet and hands. She is required to wear this any time she is in public, including while she is working. Female patients also remain covered while in the hospital. Ahmed, used to giving her opinion, was met with hostility from her male colleagues if her opinion differed from theirs. Aside from the working conditions, Ahmed describes her experiences of everyday life in Saudi Arabia, such as taking a trip to the shopping mall and attending parties (with only women). Although most of us are probably familiar with Saudi Arabia's treatment of women by now, it is still, nevertheless, a subject that continues to astonish me. Definitely worth a read. runningwithbooks.blogspot.com
Rating: 4This intriguing book details the experiences of an American trained woman doctor in the muslim society of Saudia Arabia. The author narrates her passage from being a woman of the American culture to the transformation required to function within the male-dominated Saudi world. In the book much can be learned about the Arab society and Islam. It was at times both informative and confusing as the varying roles were articulated.I enjoyed the book with the exception of the author's frequent verbose description of the beauty of the Saudi women which was portrayed with a obsession for physical features and alluring characteristics.
Rating: 4The story of a triple-board certified American and British educated female doctor who works for two years in Saudi Arabia, at a time when women must be veiled head-to-toe when outside, where women could not drive, and where the mere fact of an unmarried woman dining in a restaurant with her male peers could result in her deportation. The book speaks of paranoia induced by the religious police, and of generosity of spirit and warmth that is missing from more so-called liberal cultures. The book covers all this and more, and I found it almost impossible to put down. Recommended for anyone who is fascinated by life for Islamic women in one of the more restrictive societies.
Rating: 5In the Land of Invisible Women is a bold and honest look at, what some may consider, radical Islam through Western eyes. Ms. Ahmed guides the reader through the complicated dichotomy which is Saudi Arabia. She sheds light on the beauty of what is supposed to be true Islam and also on the sad and ugly creation into which many have twisted its path. But mostly she speaks for the many silenced women and the daily issues they face-veiling, marriage, lack of access to education and singular travel, the illegality of driving.Books like In the Land of Invisible Women make me wish this site wasn't "unadorned." There is so much I could say; this book covered a broad spectrum of topics. It was oftentimes quite fascinating and the author did a very good job of explaining her often contradictory experiences. I especially enjoyed the account of her Hajj. In this post 9-11 world it was wonderful for someone to showcase the goodness behind Islam. It also warmed my heart to read of the progress Saudi Arabia has made in correcting their societal inequities. Though I feel it's important to note that all the author experienced is, unfortunately, considered mild in many parts of the Arab world. Hopefully this new Saudi Arabia will positively influence those around them.My only two complaints are these. Ms. Ahmed really likes adjectives, I sometimes found the prolific use of them distracting...not to mention the author is very well educated and I had to look up many of these adjectives, the dictionary was my friend. Also, while reading, I sometimes felt a slight emotional disconnect between the author and her friends. I don't know if this was me, the author's writing style or a testament to the guarded nature of life in the Saudi Kingdom. Whatever it was, it did not diminish this book, it was fascinating and incredibly enlightening. I highly recommend In the Land of Invisible Women.
Rating: 4This is the first e-book I've ever read, and I received it as part of the Early Reviewer program. This book is not typical of my interests, but I found it very compelling - fascinating, even. This partial autobiography is a female, Muslim, doctor's story of her two years living and working in Saudi Arabia. The central theme is her own quest to understand Saudi Arabia, a religious monarchy ruled by Islamic law, and her own faith as a Western Muslim woman. I had difficulty deciding on the rating for this book, because although I enjoyed it very much (and highly recommend it), I feel that the author's failure to grasp what I see as obvious explanations for cultural "mysteries" is a big flaw in a book that attempts to do exactly that. However, after reflection, I believe that my own, personal (lack of) faith is not a fair basis on which to judge the book...so 4 stars it is!Ahmed's portrayal of Saudi Arabia is sensitively drawn. She seeks out many people's opinions in exploring Saudi Arabia's culture and character, but never pretends to give anything other than a personal account. While it may seem a bit self-involved to give her emotional reaction to everything, I think that gives the reader the context she/he needs to interpret the information fairly. I think the book is slow in spots, but mostly the material is absolutely fascinating! My biggest quibble is how long ago the author's experiences happened. Saudi Arabia has changed much since then, and I would have like to see more about that at the end of the book than is presented.Ok, well maybe not my biggest quibble, but this is my personal, philosophical rant, so if you're just reading this to see if the book is recommended and why, stop here. Ahmed is repeatedly puzzled by apparent contradictions and contrasts in Saudi Arabia, particularly between what she sees as a her loving, live-affirming, egalitarian, feminist Islamic religion and the hateful, death-celebrating, elitist, misogynistic behaviors she observes even among Saudi Arabia's devout, intellectual, progressive, elite. She seems diappointed on how a kingdom ruled by the law of the religion she embraces could still have people who behave and think so contrary to it, and she seems determined to blame it on a minority of relgious extremists in Saudi Arabia. The fact is, people are good or bad irrespective of their faiths. The "good Muslims" in her book are good because they are good humanists. They may give their faith credit, but then should their faith take the blame for all the "bad Muslims"? They would be bad without their faith as well - their faith merely gives them an excuse for their behavior. People are people, in a religious kingdom or not, and it seems naive to me to expect them to be less or more no matter to whom they pray or in what nations boundaries they reside.
Rating: 4