The New Yorker-Australian writer Geraldine Brooks is now known
internationally for her bestselling novels, but as a foreign
correspondent Geraldine spent six years covering the Middle East. And
when her poised and sophisticated 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 "honor 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.
This beautiful new edition includes a powerful new Afterword by the
author.
