Lin G. (LinG) reviewed on 1/16/2007 + 203 more book reviews

From the cover:
"I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, Morocco..." So begins Fatima Mernissi in this exotic and rich narrative of a childhood behind the iron gates of a domestic harem. In 'Dreams of Trespass,' Mernissi weaves her own memories with the dreams and memories of the women who surrounded her in the courtyard of her youth--women who, deprived of access to the world outside, recreated it from sheer imagination. 'Dreams of Trespass' is the provocative story of a girl confronting the mysteries of time and place, gender and sex in the recent Muslim world.

Fatima Merissi is a sociologist at University Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco. She is the author of 'Islam and Democracy,' 'The Veil and the Male Elite,' and 'Beyond the Veil,' among other books. Utne Reader named her one of its 100 visionaries in 1995.

"Wonderful and enchanting. . .Mernissi brings this vanished world to life." -- The New York Times Book Review

"A remarkable book. . .its good humor is unwavering; it tempers judgmentalism with understanding; and it provides a vivid portrait of a world that most Westerners can scarcely comprehend." -- The Washington Post Book World

"[Mernissi] creates a necklace of tales as delightful as Scheherazade's." -- Elle

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details