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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
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A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's Journey
by Leila Ahmed
In language that vividly evokes the lush summers of Cairo and
the stark beauty of the Arabian desert, Leila Ahmed tells a moving
tale of her Egyptian childhood growing up in a
3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 rating details 443 ratings 53 reviews
-
13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 2/9
More lists with this book...
rich tradition of Islamic women and describes how she eventually
came to terms with her identity as a feminist living in America. As
a young woman in Cairo in the 1940s and'50s, Ahmed witnessed
some...more
Paperback, 336 pagesPublished June 5th 2000 by Penguin
(Non-Classics) (first published 1999)
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Lists with This Book
Best Books About Islam & Muslims
55th out of 256 books 268 voters
Best Books by Muslim Women
11th out of 61 books 106 voters
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30 of 1,141)
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Dec 10, 2012Manon rated it 2 of 5 starsYet another wealthy,
Western-educated Arab woman who decides that her life story is
interesting and valuable enough to be "the life story of the Middle
Eastern Woman"! LeilaAhmed is a wonderful scholar and has made
innumerable contributions to the field of Middle Eastern/Islamic
gender studies, but this book is alas not one of them. Although it
is
well-written, the subject is very boring. Ahmed gives us
snippets of a half-remembered priveleged childhood that she
couldn't wait to escape by movin...more
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 3/9
flaglike see review
Jul 24, 2013Suhaib rated it 5 of 5 stars
This entire memoir is like an impressionist painting. Every page
was breathtaking, whether it was the memory of the author as a
child, lying under a starlit Alexandria sky with hergrandmother on
the 27th night of Ramadan, waiting for angels, or her many passages
about her strained yet loving relationship with her mother. Leila
Ahmed masterfully weaveshistory together with memory, and paints a
picture of mid-20th century Egypt as a multilingual, religiously
diverse nation unaffected by the tumu...more
flaglike see review
Sep 30, 2011Jacki rated it 4 of 5 starsA Border Passage is a
personal memoir of Ahmed's childhood in Cairo, her academic life in
England, and her professional life in America. She weaves a
beautifual story of the
impact of imperialism and the Eygptian revolutions on her life
and the life of her family. She struggles with racism when there
was no such word. She brings the reader to a placeof contemplation
as they begin to see the world from a non-Western point of
view.
Ahmed is a skilled writer, able to a story that is intriguing
and...more
flag1 like like see review
Apr 14, 2012Phil rated it 4 of 5 stars review of another
edition
Shelves: biographies, historyI read this book in 2000, shortly
after it appeared. I met Professor Ahmed at a conference (where she
did NOT speak about her book) and found her a very engaging
presenter.
The book covers three aspects of her life: her childhood in
pre-revolutionary Egypt (i.e. before 1953); her education in
English; and thereafter.
Professor Ahmed, a relatively secularized and non-observant
Muslim, has written extensively about women and their lives in the
Middle East, as well as nascent feminism there.
I was enc...more
flaglike see review
Sep 20, 2010Sandy marked it as started-not-finishedShelves:
reading-group-picks, egypt
We started this interesting book in our reading group but I got
caught up in too much else and, alas, it got laid by the wayside as
so many books before it and since have done. Itwas a really
interesting memoir about growing up in Egypt and coming,
ultimately, to the west where freedoms for women are a given as
opposed to an unthinkable. And all the
fascinations and internal and ideological as well as political
contradictions this created for Leila. It is a really interesting
read... Fortunatel...moreflaglike see review
May 13, 2011Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: memoirs
The author was born & raised in Egypt. Her family was
wealthy & educated. Her father was an engineeer. Of course as a
Muslim, she grew up mostly in the company of the
women of her family. This was a required reading in one of
Olivia's classes at OU. It is excellent in that it helped me
understand the development of Egypt politically andculturally, the
essence of the Arabic language, what it is to be an Arab, how the
life of Muslim women changed through the years, and it helped me to
dev...more
flaglike see review
Mar 22, 2009Nancy rated it 1 of 5 starsI got this book for
Christmas - my husband picked it out all by his onesie! - and I
hoped for better things than Ahmad delivered. This is a woman who
has led an intriguing
life...but she writes in a style that is at once ornate and
tedious. I got the impression that she thinks of her life as "a
woman's journey", and she writes about that; but I wanted to
know about Leila, about who she was and is, and she is oddly
careful to hide all that. This is a memoir that reads like a
sociology text...dull...moreflaglike see review
Aug 17, 2013Kristine Gift rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: summer-13, middle-eastRealistically, I would rate this
3.5/5 rather than simply 3, were that an option. I was assigned
this book for a class I took three years ago about the history of
the modern Middle
East, but then it was removed from the syllabus before classes
began. But at graduation, another professor gave me a new copy of
this book, and I took it as a sign that I should
finally read Ahmed's book. In short, I'm glad I did; it was
enlightening and interesting (especially the chapter(s?) about her
college/grad s...more
flaglike see review
Jul 13, 2010Phm rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: read-some-parts-of-this
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 4/9
1 among a few interesting passages I found so far:
"What was passed on, besides the general basic beliefs and moral
ethos of Islam, which are also those of its sister monotheisms, was
a way of being in the world. A way of
holding oneself in the world - in relation to God, to existence,
to other human beings. THis the women passed on to us most of all
through how they were and by their being andpresence, by the way
they were in the world, conveying their beliefs, ways, thoughts,
and how we shoul...more
flaglike see review
May 17, 2012Rubayya rated it 5 of 5 starsThis book is really,
really good. It starts a little slow and muddled but the speed at
which it progresses is reflective of the author's sharpening of her
outlook and identity. Reading
this book, I realized how similar the experience of growing up
in a British colony, Egypt, is to growing up as an immigrant,
minority, and Muslim in America. She vividly portrays
a conflicted sense of self with which I can identify strongly
and resolves her sense of conflict in a way that is healing, even
to me. T...moreflag1 like like see review
Aug 14, 2012Jane rated it 3 of 5 stars
I don't remember how I learned of this book, but it had been on
my "to read" shelf for over a year. The book is a memoir of Leila
Ahmed, an Egyptian author and feminist. Itdetails her life
beginning with the British occupation through current times. The
book gives a glimpse of life for foreign students (for this woman,
it was in England), and sheds light
on Egypt's unique role in the Arab world. She also finishes with
the feminist movement and her difficulty in relating this movement
to a cultu...more
flaglike see review
May 11, 2009Gina rated it 2 of 5 stars
This book I just read for last months DOA book club. It was ok,
its more of a memoir of Leila Ahmeds life growing up in Egypt at
the time of British control and then the rule of
Nasser. She is Muslim but not a practicing Muslim, that is she
does not state anything negative about Islam in general as she
really does not know much about her Islam. Its alsoof her coming to
terms with her relationship with towards her mother.
flaglike see review
Jun 20, 2009Sarah rated it 3 of 5 starsI first heard of Ahmed's
autobiography from an interview she did with Krista Tippet for
Speaking of Faith. I was intrigued by her description of the harem
in that interview --
which resonated -- but was unprepared for the copious amounts of
history, Egyptian specifically and Middle Eastern generally. All
along, I questioned what one had to do with
the other -- which is only resolved in the last chapter.
flaglike see review
Mar 04, 2013Mohammad rated it 1 of 5 stars
I literally could not finish the book. Literally. I tried really
hard, especially since it was required for a class but I just
couldn't. It was so bad. I didn't care whatsoever aboutAhmed's life
and privilege. It really seems that she was alien in her own land,
as she mentions herself. Luckily, she is now living in USA and away
from her "homeland" where she
didn't seem to belong.
flag1 like like see review
Jun 26, 2011Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars
This was very interesting, both a memoir of a girlhood in Cairo
in the 40s and 50s and a brief history of modern Egypt and an
examination of the place of women in Islam. I
enjoyed the first part of the book about Leila Ahmed's childhood
and youth the most. Some of the second half was a little dull.
Parts of it reminded me of Penelope Lively's
memoir of growing up in Cairo, "Oleander, Jacaranda", that I
really liked.flaglike see review
Feb 01, 2009Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 starsShelves:
truly_outstanding
Absolutely outstanding memoir written by a thoughtful scholar of
Islamic Women's studies. Ahmed weaves her memories of growing up in
post-revolutionary Cairo with
historical analyses of Egypt, Islam, women, Arab Nationalism,
and identity issues. It's rare to find such a scholarly, thoughtful
meditation on one's own personal history. I'm not
sure I agree with everything she says, but her analyses are
thought-provoking without being pedantic.flaglike see review
Nov 24, 2008Lena rated it 5 of 5 starsShelves: memoir
A fascinating feminist perspective of modern Egyptian history
and how the rise of Arab nationalism affected individual lives. A
great history lesson and memoir of a woman
searching the define herself as Muslim, female, immigrant, etc.
This book strongly influenced my perceptions of current events
involving this region of the world.
flaglike see review
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 5/9
Jan 10, 2009Chris rated it 4 of 5 starsHeard the author
interviewed on Fresh Air. Stunning portrait of life for a young
woman of privileged class in a second-world country, finding her
way through the turmoil of post-
colonialism into a deeper understanding of herself and the world
we all occupy. A memoir.
flaglike see review
May 15, 2012Maureen rated it 3 of 5 stars
I had hoped for more of the author's personal in this book. I
knew the history of the time pretty well before reading it and have
read other memoirs of women growing up in
Egypt at the same time. For those reasons, I could have done
with less of the Middle East history lessons.flaglike see
review
Apr 18, 2009Miranda rated it 5 of 5 stars
A fabulous read. Resonates with where I am at. I have strong
socio-political views, I am on a journey of defining myself as
"woman": remaining feminine, playing hard wherenecessary and being
a black professional in the Gulf- very enlightening journey
indeed
flaglike see review
Oct 19, 2012Jen Appell rated it 3 of 5 starsShelves:
booksluts-challenge
I tend to really enjoy memoirs and autobiographies, but I feel
like I would have enjoyed this book if I had read it at my leisure.
Having been pressured into reading half of it
within two days kinda builds a resentment toward the book.
Besides that, I thought the book was interesting and it taught me a
lot about different cultures. I'd recommend it topeople who enjoy
memoirs and cross-cultural concepts.
flaglike see review
Jun 22, 2010Jess rated it 4 of 5 starsShelves: 2010,
cs-spring-summer-challenge-2010
I really enjoyed this book! If I could, I would give it 4.5
stars. I'm not posting my review here yet, as I will be reviewing
it for The Broke and the Bookish.
flaglike see review
Dec 09, 2007Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars
This book effectively addresses the complications that exist in
the crossing of different borders and cultures. Ahmed takes the
time to introduce you to the life she lived as a
young girl in Cairo. She takes you through the political
situations and problems that shaped what Cairo has developed into
today. In addition, she addresses the complicationsthat occur
through her travel to America in all the racism that she met with
as she tried to meld into the colonial European world. I found this
boo...more
flaglike see review
Nov 15, 2009sara rated it 2 of 5 starsread it for a book
club...glad to have read it to get a unique perspective...but the
author contradicts herself over and over...if this falls under
"islam and feminism", it's quite
pathetic...
flaglike see review
Jul 02, 2008Jillien rated it 5 of 5 stars
I love autobiographies in general, but I especially loved this
one. I really learned a lot about Egyptian history/politics,
revealing a very tumultuous and transitory time in its history.
(I especially found it interesting to learn about her father's
position on the High Dam) Having lived in Cairo, reading about the
earlier days of Egypt in this book was almost likereading about a
fairytale dreamland- it was hard to believe Cairo (and Egypt) used
to be SO different than what it is now. It can d...more
flaglike see review
Oct 25, 2012Alice rated it 4 of 5 starsShelves: non-fiction,
africa, middle-east, travel
The author is an academic, and it shows in her writing style.
Sometimes she really went too far off into an academic discussion -
but it was worth it. She explores ideas of Arab
identity vs. Egyptian identity, oral traditions vs. written
Islam, women's culture vs. men's culture, and what it means to be a
non-European living in the west. It's the bestdiscussion of the
problem with traditional education and reliance on book learning
that I've read. I had no idea that written Arabic was so
differe...more
flaglike see review
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 6/9
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Feb 15, 2013Jeremy rated it 3 of 5 stars
Leila Ahmed is a terrific writer, but I have the same problems
with her memoir that I have with memoirs in general. Memoirs, in my
opinion, only work as a part of some larger
context than one's self, and while Ahmed does better than most,
she still gets bogged down in personal minutiae that bare little
relevance to that context and, ultimately, bore theshit out of me.
Her best work comes toward the end, when she really dug in to the
point of her memoir: searching for her identity as a
feminist...more
flaglike see review
Mar 18, 2011Louette rated it 4 of 5 starsThis is the memoir of
an Egyptian feminist, part of the intelligentsia. It helped me to
understand Egyptian society from the point of view of a privileged
woman.
flaglike see review
Feb 16, 2008Melinda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for:
manyThis is an intellectually stimulating and beautifully memoir.
It reflects the formative moments of Leila Ahmed's life while
simultaneously investigating questions of imperialism,
culture, religion, identity, feminism, race, literacy, politics,
literature, Egypt, and Arabness at a level exceptionally perceptive
and thorough. Ahmed draws a complex portrait of
her childhood in Egypt and experiences in British academia. Her
critical eye and articulate voice combine to form a rich memoir,
one which p...more
flaglike see review
Jul 20, 2007Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for:
those who want to learn about Egypt or Islam
I read this for a book club. I really didn't know a lot about
what's covered in this memoir--growing up in Egypt, the formation
of Arab nationalism, what it's like to be a Muslim
woman, what it's like to love aspects of the culture that has
colonized you. One of the most interesting things about this book
was described at the end when the author moves to
the U.S. to be a women's studies professor, and oddly finds
women's studies a very hostile environment to be in--a
contradiction that I found t...more
flaglike see review
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
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Autobiography > Memoir17 users
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About Leila Ahmed
Leila Ahmed (Arabic: ) is an Egyptian American professor of
Women's Studies and Religion at the Harvard Divinity School. Prior
to coming to Harvard, she wasprofessor of Womens Studies and Near
Eastern studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She
earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University
of
Cambridge before moving to the United States to teach and
writ...more
More about Leila Ahmed...
Books by Leila Ahmed
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13/11/13 A Border Passage: From Cairo to America A Woman's
Journey by Leila Ahmed Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
www.goodreads.com/book/show/68016.A_Border_Passage 9/9
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