"[
Women Writing Africa Vol 4: The Northern Region] . . . provides a thorough documentation of women's lives. . . . A general reader, I found the collection a varied and thorough introduction to the history of the area. . ." --
Feminist Review "I would shout about these books from the rooftop. . . . They are hugely important books, books for which we should all be grateful . . ." --
The Mumpsimus Blog "All [of the
Women Writing Africa volumes] are important, fascinating, and informative. . . . [
The Northern Region] is an invaluable resource for everyone." --
MultiCultural Review "[
Women Writing Africa Vol 4: The Northern Region] . . . provides a thorough documentation of women's lives. . . . A general reader, I found the collection a varied and thorough introduction to the history of the area. . ." --
Feminist Review "I would shout about these books from the rooftop. . . . They are hugely important books, books for which we should all be grateful . . ." --
The Mumpsimus Blog "All [of the
Women Writing Africa volumes] are important, fascinating, and informative. . . . [
The Northern Region] is an invaluable resource for everyone." --
MultiCultural Review
The fourth volume, focused on Northern Africa, includes more than 100 texts from Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. This pioneering volume includes works from 3000 BCE to the present; from an Egyptian Queen's marriage proposal to contemporary women promoting new marriage and family laws. In addition to Berber poetry and oral history, much prose in the volume is original, and many names will resonate with modern readers, including Leila Abou Zeid, Amina Arfaoui, Salwa Bakr, Assia Djebar, Nawal El Saadawi, and Fatima Mernissi. Important themes include polygamy, FGM, the veil, education, and political participation.