'An unforgettable, unmissable book for the new global feminist.'
The Times
'All the men I did get to know filled me with but one desire: to lift my
hand and bring it smashing down on his face.'
So begins Firdaus's remarkable story of rebellion against a society
founded on lies, hypocrisy, brutality and oppression. Born to a peasant
family in the Egyptian countryside, Firdaus struggles through childhood,
seeking compassion and knowledge in a world which gives her little of
either. As she grows up and escapes the fetters of her childhood, each
new relationship teaches her a bitter but liberating truth - that the
only free people are those who want nothing, fear nothing and hope for
nothing.
This classic novel has been an inspiration to countless people across
the world. Saadawi's searing indictment of society's brutal treatment of
women continues to resonate today.