Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women is the story of Brooks' intrepid journey toward an understanding of the women behind the veils, and of the often contradictory political, religious, and cultural forces that shape their lives. In fundamentalist Iran, Brooks finagles an invitation to tea with the ayatollah's widow - and discovers that Mrs. Khomeini dyes her hair.
In Saudi Arabia, she eludes the severe segregation of the sexes and attends a bacchanal, laying bare the hypocrisy of this austere, male-dominated society. In war-torn Ethiopia, she watches as a female gynecologist repairs women who have undergone genital mutilation justified by a distorted interpretation of Islam.
In villages and capitals throughout the Middle East, she finds that a feminism of sorts has flowered under the forbidding shroud of the chador as she makes other startling discoveries that defy our stereotypes about the Muslim world. Nine Parts of Desire is much more than a captivating work of firsthand reportage; it is also an acute analysis of the world's fastest-growing religion, deftly illustrating how Islam's holiest texts have been misused to justify the repression of women. It was, after all, the Shiite leader Ali who proclaimed that God created sexual desire in ten parts, then gave nine parts to women.
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"I LOVE Geraldine Brooks. I think she is an amazingly insightful woman who has an incredible ability to clearly present a difficult concept. I feel like I have a much clearer sense of the Muslim religion and how men and women who practice it interact with each other and the rest of the world. She did an amazing job of personalizing all of these women and their lives and stories for someone from a completely different background. I think that everyone should read this book, especially given the world we live in. People should try to educate themselves befores just spouting off at the mouth about being Muslim."
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Chrissy (5 out of 5 stars)