Diary of a Child Called Souad (Giants of Contemporary Arab Literature)

This book is the first autobiography from leading Egyptian feminist Dr. Nawal El Saadawi, written at the age of ten in the form of fiction as she explores her early awakening to the world around her. Now known for her bold spirit and probing mind, El Saadawi uncovers through a child's eyes in this novel the hypocritical values and traditions carried on by family, education, religion, and society. With amazing courage she weaves a tale of the fear, guilt, and repressive compliance forced upon her as a woman and upon her generation as the price to be paid for leading a civilized existence. Struggling to come to terms with taboos concerning her maturing body, the young El Saadawi reveals in this book the makings of a revolutionary spirit and relentlessly analytical mind. With introductions by the author and translator, this is a must read for devotees of El Saadawi to witness an early record of the maturing of her thoughts and the shaping of her ideas.