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Nov
10
Book Review & Giveaway: In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, M.D.
2008 at 10am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Recently published September 1, 2008
In 1999, after having her U.S. visa renewal denied, Qanta Ahmed, a Muslim doctor raised in Europe and educated in North America, took a job in Saudi Arabia and set out to connect with her roots in a new and more meaningful way. In the Land of Invisible Women is her memoir of the two years she spent in Saudi Arabia discovering her faith and uncovering the truth of Muslim society and life in the Kingdom.
Qanta arrives in Saudi Arabia knowing that what she will experience there will be very different from her life in the U.S. Women are required to veil themselves in public, an archaic practice that stands in sharp contrast with the technology and modernity Qanta sees all around her. She describes the drive from the airpor to her new home:
The absurd, clamorous clash of modern and medieval—Benz and Bedou, Cadillac and camel—was one which would reverberate throughout my stay in the Kingdom. It never became less arresting to behold.
Though she knows about the oppressive rules governing life in Saudi Arabia, Qanta is unprepared for how they impact her feelings about herself, her peers, and her Muslim faith. She struggles to adapt to wearing her abbayah—a head-to-toe garment—and is deeply disturbed by what it symbolizes in Saudi society.
While these veils conceal women, at the same time they expose the rampant, male oppression which is their jailor.
And later:
During the day, or in public, these women not only veiled their beauty and their clothes in those black abbayahs, they veiled their spirits, their souls, their joie de vivre.
Qanta comments on the irony and frustration of knowing that during her time in Riyadh, she will be licensed to perform complex procedures and operations on critically ill patients but will never be allowed to drive a motor vehicle. Only men are allowed to drive, and single women like Qanta must have male drivers and obtain permission from a male relative or supervisor for any travel outside the Kingdom. Though some of her male colleagues treat her as an equal, many of them ignore her, refuse to consider her opinions, and consider her beneath them despite her world class training and skill. The ongoing tensions between men and women are an important theme in the book, and Ahmed treats them with considerable thought and insight.
In addition to sharing her experiences as a Western woman in an oppressive, male-dominated society, Ahmed describes the religious transformation she experienced as she explored the roots of her Muslim faith. In a snap decision, she makes plans to attend Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca—the center of the Muslim world—and from the beginning of the journey says,
I could feel the gravitational pull of God.
On her Hajj, Qanta not only finds her faith deepened and her Muslim identity strengthened, she begins to see the true principles of Islam—equality and justice—on display in her fellow pilgrims. This is incredibly reassuring, as the messages sent by Saudi society and the Mutawaeen (essentially, religious police who control public life and regulate women’s behavior) are mixed at best and deeply disturbing at worst.
This was Islam: Hajj! Not the Muttawa with their nightsticks and nihilism. Equality in the eyes of our Maker, whether we be men or women, rich or poor, able-bodied or deformed, black or white, was all that mattered. The frenzied, fascist supremacy of Wahabiism had simply been washed away by a torrent of truth: the multiracial, spiritually hybrid Muslims now flooding Mecca.
Of course, not everyone Qanta encounters during Hajj is warm and inviting. Many native Saudis judge her for her Western dress and less-than-orthodox practices, but when she saves the day by treating a fellow pilgrim who is suffering from horrible pain, she finds new acceptance and respect among the women she travels with. Making the Hajj to Mecca is a highlight of Qanta’s experiences in Saudi Arabia, and it is an interesting and moving section of the book.
The elements of public life that revolve around the strikingly different treatment of men and women and the exploration of private, religious life form the primary frames for In the Land of Invisible Women, but Ahmed also explores the place of Saudi politics in the world, and her telling of her experiences in the aftermath of 9/11 is horrifying and eye-opening. Qanta is troubled by her peers’ revealed anti-Semitism and their elation at America’s misfortune, and many of her interactions in the days following 9/11 change her relationships with the people that have become her friends.
In the Land of Invisible Women is serious and often sad, but it is also funny and uplifting and very insightful. Qanta’s descriptions of the complicated rituals of friendship and dating are wry and humorous, and when she experiences them firsthand as she develops a crush on a colleague, she discusses it with great sensitivity and charming self-deprecation. She also disovers that many of the strong, independent women she has met and befriended are supported by liberal, enlightened men, and her discussion of this serves to balance the negative impressions she gleans from her encounters with the Mutawaeen and the Saudi men who buy into the misguided notion that they are superior.
As she states near the beginning of the book:
I would learn that Saudi Arabia was many things to many people: to the rich, a land of boundless wealth; to the poor, a prison of abject poverty; to the expatriate worker, a land of contrasts and inconsistencies, an ever moving labyrinth of contradtion, not wholly one or wholly the other.
I thoroughly enjoyed In the Land of Invisible Women and think anyone interested in world politics, religion, and life in the middle east would find it very interesting. Ahmed blends colorful personal narrative with informative expository writing very nicely, and I felt that I got to know her well and learned a great deal at the same time. I did find some of her descriptions excessively flowery and verbose, and some sections of the book were repetitive (at 437 pages, it could have been cut down a bit), but overall, this was a great read. 4 out of 5.
Qanta Ahmed is doing an Author Chat at Library Thing beginning today, November 10th, that will run through the 21st. Click here to leave your question or comment for her.
I’d like to thank Ryan at Sourcebooks for offering me this fantastic book, and I’m thrilled to be announcing a giveaway of In the Land of Invisible Women. If you’d like to win a copy of this wonderful book, leave a comment here telling me why you’re interested. Blog about this giveaway (and leave a link here) to receive a bonus entry. One lucky winner will be randomly selected. U.S. and Canada only, please. Enter by 11:59pm Eastern this Sunday, November 16th.
Related posts:
- Pub Day Book Review: IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS by Gina Welch
- Don't kick the bucket, kemo sabe (Phraseology, day 11)
- Jock itch & Jell-O (Phraseology, day 10)
- Book Review & Giveaway: The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti
- Blog Tour Book Review and Giveaway: Honey It's All in the Shoes by Phyllis Norton Hoffman
Excellent review, as usual. Of course, I expect nothing less from you.
This sounds very interesting. I would like to win the book because I like heairng about experiences of people who go to a region or experience a culture to which they have some ties.
No need to enter me, I just wanted to say that you wrote a great review! I reviewed the book too, and I agree with everything you said.
This sounds very interesting – the storyline is very intriguing! I would love to read it!
Thank you for the giveaway!
kerin0874 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I’d love to read this – I like to read about other cultures and countries. Thanks for the chance!
geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com
As a woman I find what women are currently willing to subject themselves in the name of Religion or Politics intriguing. Women living under Islamic rule and enduring whatever an American Woman might find degrading and humiliating, but persevering is an important theme in many current memoirs. I enjoy reading these books because I feel like it puts me in the midst of history. I am very much hoping to see some drastic changes on these matters during my time.
Please enter me. Thanks!
Sararush at hotmail dot com
Also blogged about it here: smbooks.blogspot.com
Greetings Dorothy and Toto :F
Oooooooh I would love to receive this book giveaway
hows that new Gladwell book so far??
cheers
I’d love to read this. I really like to read stories about cultures, settings, personal lives etc. that are very different from my own. It not only informs me about the world and shows me that so much of my own life is easy, it teaches me empathy.
Please enter me. Thank you.
I would love to read this book. I enjoy getting other cultural and religious viewpoints. I think learning about other cultures is what allows us to be better people.
Thanks!
I’m interested in this one because I’m interested in hearing about how women live in other cultures. I’ve read books like ‘Not Without My Daughter’ and ‘Do They Hear You When You Cry’ but I haven’t read one about an educated woman, which would be interesting.
Your review is compelling. That is quite an interesting culture to read about and I know I would thoroughly enjoy this one.
You and I are on the same reading track – first it was I See You Everywhere, and now this one, which I’m planning on reading next! I’m bookmarking your review to read after I finish the book
[...] Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog [...]
I love reading about life in Muslim countries and this would be perfect!
This sounds like a very interesting read-please enter me!
Is it too late to enter? I’d like to read this book!
I would love to win this book because of my recent interest in life in the Middle East. I’ve read “Reading Lolita in Tehran” along with a few other Middle Eastern female writers from my Contemporary World Literature course. I think this would make a wonderful addition. Thanks for offering it as a prize!!!!
[...] Book Review & Giveaway: In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A …Only men are allowed to drive, and single women like Qanta must have male drivers and obtain permission from a male relative or supervisor for any travel outside the Kingdom. Though some of her male colleagues treat her as an equal, … [...]
[...] want to catch up on the Phraseology fest, click here for previous posts. And don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta [...]
[...] here for more Phraseology fun, and don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta [...]
i started reading a pdf of this.. but somehow I just prefer books.. do enter me for the giveaway!:)
I have mentioned this giveaway in my blog as well. you can check it out here:
http://ramyasbookshelf-index.blogspot.com/2007/09/giveaways.html
thanks!
ramyasbookshelf(at)gmail(dot)com
I just found your blog and I am enjoying your reviews.
Please enter me in your contest for a copy of the book.
I’d love to read this book because it seems so interesting. I love reading about first hand experiences.
Thanks for the review!
[...] reviewed two books this week. First was In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta Ahmed. Click here to read my review and enter to win a copy—the contest closes tonight at 11:59pm Eastern. I [...]
This book was wonderful. It was a fun and easy read, but also managed to be insightful and educational. I felt like I got a good personal look into the lives of women in the Kingdom.
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