The Role of Women in the Middle East
355265
This book is not a quick read. I read it slowly, a chapter or two a week for about a month. I learned a lot about the role of women in the middle east.

The book deals with several different women in the middle east and discusses what their lives are like. The author believes that women are repressed, held back and not permitted to fully participate in many aspects of life.

Since there is so much talk about the middle east today, this is a good book to read for increasing your understanding of what life is like there, especially for women.
4909848
It has been said that the most dangerous sentence in the world is, Its a girl.  Sex selective abortions, sexual slavery, economic and personal oppression, abuse, neglect, and centuries of cultural norms have made the oppression of women, particularly women in the developing world, a tragic norm.  In a day of breaking headline news, by in large these atrocities go unnoticed, unreported, and unaddressed across the globe.  Journalists Nicholas D. Kristof  and Sheryl WuDunn have sought to be a voice for the voiceless as they shine light on these dark corners of our world.

This book exposes heart-wrenching realities, challenges individuals, governments, and cultural norms to get informed, establish policies, and shift thinking for the good of women and ultimately for the good of families, communities, nations and the world.  Indeed, a primary argument in the book is that we all benefit in a society that elevates women and provides new opportunities and freedoms to these women.

This is an important book with a very wide swath.  Kristof and WuDunn have attempted to present a comprehensive view of these problems and possible strategies for their remedies.  Along the way, the authors both criticize and affirm the strengths and weakness of both conservatives and liberals, people of faith and secular humanists (though, at times it seems they give Islam a pass while overly criticizing global Christians). We would all do well to read this book, investigate its claims, determine a personal action plan, and begin pursuing the cause of oppressed women worldwide.

My one minor critique is that the authors sometimes put forth programs such as Kiva.org and Greg Mortensen's educational efforts as effective means of elevating the cause and status of women in the developing world. In both cases, there are some serious concerns, with evidence that these examples can often add to the oppression.
927273
The emphasis in this book by Allison Wolf is on women in "elite" positions.  The shows women in top executive positions are close to equal to men in like positions, but as you go down the ladder, the gap enlarges considerably.  The author does stray into unexpected territory at times, such as the lot of women in sex services.  However, the target seems to be basically the lady executive.  All in all, this is a valuable book for understanding the status of today's working woman and should be useful for all women, but especially young women choosing whether or not to pursue higher education.  Highly recommended for all.
3145985
A story of great courage, including a close and personal look at the way women are treated in the Middle East.  I was right there with her every step of the way.
4533832
Excellent book with much insight into people in many aspects.  Could very possibly be a true story.  The events and culture of these Middle Eastern countries are very descriptive.  A must read!
4752946
Women have held an important place in the history of archaeology. Sadly, many these women have been all but erased from scholarly discussions - such as the role Getrude Bell played in founding the Baghdad Museum. That is, until now. The biographies gathered in this volume are an inspiration for modern adventurers, female archaeologists and even your 'ordinary' woman. These pioneering Victorian women helped shape our 21st century, Western understanding of the world and their voices can now be heard.
3462127
This review is about the book NGOs Support Services for Women Development: A Case Study of Bangladesh by Muhammad Nizam Uddin Khan, a visionary social scientist. Mr. Khan explored on women empowerment as well as their gender discrimination and sketched a wonderful graph that shows the state of women over the past decades in Bangladesh.  He explored role of NGOs in development especially on women empowerment. Bangladesh is now in better situation in terms of population dynamics and demographic indicators. NGOs have contributed significantly in developing Bangladesh. However, NGOs initially focused on women and have done a tremendous job in empowering women. United Nations recently held conference on Population and Development, as a follow up of 1994 Cairo conference and called for global efforts on womens rights and empowerment.  Therefore, it is now an important issue all over the world. This book will be helpful for students, researcher, development practitioner, policy makers, planners who want to shape and reshape development and programs.
544440
This is one of the best books I have read on the Middle East. Nasr does a good job of explaining complex Islamic history in simple terms. The book is full of insights and is enjoyable to read. You come away with a whole new perspective on that part of the world. It is a must read for anyone interested in Iraq and Iran. I highly recommend it.
4249941
A very readable account of key figures of the Middle East. Did a good job pointing out the region is not homogeneous, but made up of all kinds of people.
780187
This book is an excellent help for women leaders to understand how to address common challenges such as developing visibility and avoiding the "accidental manager" syndrome, those situations where a woman's  candidacy for the next opportunity is often proposed by someone else who has observed her competence.  As mentioned in the book, women often focus only on the dark side of power but we all need to see that power is also a vehicle for achieving results and influencing others to a shared vision. Women would do well to keep the list advised by the author of what they do well and what they need to learn instead of only focusing on the shortcomings. Among areas for improvement the key skills of networking, gaining visibility and taking your own career in hand.  This book is an excellent guide for women undertaking the path to managing their own career development.
361020
This provides great insight into what women deal with regarding abuse, relationships, health and building a business. This is a book I recommend for women and men.  For men it will help you to have a better understanding of your wife and what your daughter may face in her life.  All of work with women and have women in our lives.  The better we understand then and learn to support them, the better world we will live in.
2396559
A very insightful look at a period of time that still impacts so many of the conflicts happening in the region today. A must read, I'd say, for anyone trying to genuinely understand the conflicts currently raging of the Middle East.
3406468
This books is as balanced as possible, and should be read by those who would like a better understanding of what it is like to live in the Middle East.

From the perspective of a non-muslim woman who grew up in Saudi Arabia, I can vouch for the parts in Ms. Brooks' book that I am familiar with. Every woman I knew in Saudi Arabia was FORCED to wear the hijab, whether or not they wanted to, and flocks of muttawein scoured the city for women who even looked as though they were rebelling against this.

I never found the majority of Arabs tolerant of other faiths, or even cultures(although there were always wonderful people who were exceptions). At the airport, customs officials would toss out spices and pickles,Bibles, crosses and videos, out of travellers' luggage.

My father was the only one allowed to drive our family around, as my brothers were too young to drive.

The overall atmosphere for young women was socially oppressive, restrictive and threatening.

Luckily, my family moved out of Saudi Arabia eventually, and I love living in a country where religious tolerance is so widespread that I can walk around in my attire and not be afraid that some sex crazed man will attack me because he cannot help himself. And even if he did, this society empowers me to protect myself in many ways. I am not responsible for my brother's honour, only for mine. And he is responsible for his own.

Having said all this, I was shocked to find that genital mutilation is a cultural thing, NOT religious in nature. I did learn this and many other things from Ms. Brooks which helped me understand and empathize with Islam better, so this book was awesome in that regard! Definitely a book to read for a different perspective.
3878170
An important book. While focusing on the invisible women in the Kingdom, the author also celebrates the strength of women in Saudi. Well done.
3901818
Very deep and informative.  As it was until the social revolution of the 1960's in the US, women were not accredited with much in biblical days.  This book brings out the work of women throughout the Torah and the Bible that makes one very proud to be a woman.  So worth the read and a great educational tool for today's females - youth and adult.
742300
I am very interested in world politics and religious influence on middle east. This book explains it all. Very well written and very informative. I can't wait for Dr. Williams's new book.
4136017
Being the center of Western civilization gets you many things; one of which is a lot of attention, both wanted and unwanted.  This is the plight of the Middle East in the last century; a lot of attention and interference from outsiders.  This is also the topic of this book by Middle East historian Bernard Lewis.  This book describes the Middle East and the various forces, both internal and external, that have stewed and shaped it throughout the 1900s.  The players involved include the French, the British, communist parties, the US, Jews and Palestinians, Arab socialists, religious fundamentalists, nationalists, the UN, and of course, oil companies and OPEC.  The author tries to tie these various actors together to show how their interactions often led to unintended results.

There are several points that the author does not but should have more fully explored.  This includes the support Islamic fundamentalists received from the West, the impact of the 1980s Afghan war on the Middle East, and the effect international trade agreements and organizations such as the IMF and World Bank have had on this area.  The author does cover the three major points of oil, the Palestinian conflict, and the Cold War.

All in all a good book, but not a great book.