"Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections." -Library Journal "The author's travels through her native region offer insights into Arabic history, culture, and language as well as daily life in the Middle East today."

Sociologist and author Al-Rawi (Grandmother's Secrets) here offers up a collection of poetic vignettes about past and present Arab folkways in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Kuwait, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Weaving together childhood memories and interviews with Arab women, she draws the reader behind closed doors to meet a colorful and intriguing casts of characters, including her Aunts Fatima and Kawthar, her Uncle Mahmoud, her brother Manour, her parents, her grandmother, and many other good-hearted people. Al-Rawi's writing is deeply evocative: the reader sees, hears, touches, and tastes what she describes. Rich with historical and cultural detail about a wide range of subjects-from shopping in a carpet souk to female circumcision, wearing the veil, pearl diving, marriage, women's roles, and much more-this work also includes Arab proverbs, endnotes and a brief bibliography. Highly recommended for anthropology, sociology, and women's studies collections.