Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood; by Fatima Mernissi

This is actually one of Andrew's textbooks for the semester. Apparently my life is boring enough that I peruse my husband's textbooks. Sigh.

I really enjoyed the book. It's kind of like the Middle Eastern version of The House on Mango Street, which I also really enjoyed.

Mernissi really sheds some light on what life is like for the typical woman in the Middle East...well, the typical woman who actually lives in a harem. Few do nowadays, although I have visited one and actually kind of lived in one, by definition...

Although I think Mernissi is really speaking out against harems (she's a feminist--in the extreme way), she kind of puts a more positive spin on them than we are used to hearing about here. Harems are typically communal dwellings which is not what the entertainment business would have us believe.

Anyway, Mernissi shares a lot of her childhood memories, and I enjoyed rediscovering the world through a child's eyes once again.