A Daughter of Isis: The Autobiography of Nawal El Saadawi
Sa'adawi grew up in a traditional Egyptian household. Her older, less academic brother's failures were mourned, while her successes were not even acknowledged. Fighting gender discrimination the entire way, she persevered through university and became a doctor. This autobiography is the story of those years, before Sa'adawi's name became synonymous with the struggles against sexual discrimination and for women's social and intellectual freedom. Her father was also a great activist and believed in education for all, even his daughters. The book is almost less an autobiography and more a homage to her mother, whom Sa'adawi adores. There are no pages devoted to her years of writing and feminist struggles. There is only a short blurb at the end, catching up on her life to the present day. Although the book could have used an editor to deal with the occasional rambling prose, it is an insightful piece as it celebrates the family of Egypt's most interesting feminist.Ellie Barta-Moran--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.