This is really two books. One a memoir of Leila Ahmed growing up in Cairo and how she finally settled in the USA. It is a fascinating story, involving and informative about life in Egypt, much more diverse and interesting than I had ever realized.

The second theme of the book is an analysis of the concepts of Arab identity and the experiences of Arab women. It is interesting,more academic in tone.

Well worth reading both for evocative descriptions of Cairo and growing up and for Dr. Ahmed's thoughts about her identity as an arab, as a woman and as a moslem.

I needed this book for a course I'm taking, and not one local bookstore had it in stock. I logged on to trusty Amazon, ordered it, and had it in my hands (with assigned reading completed) before my next class. The memoir itself had started pretty slowly (alot of Egyptian history), but has taken off quite nicely.

I enjoyed very much reading this book. The level of description used is capable of transporting you to Leila's birthplace and enjoy her life's journey. This book reads like a novel even though it is a biography. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Pre- and Post-Nasser era in Egypt and how it affected the Egyptian middle class of the time. Another book about Egypt during that era I would recommend is Samia Serag El-din's The Cairo House. Happy reading!

I enjoyed very much reading this book. The level of description used is capable of transporting you to Leila's birthplace and enjoy her life's journey. This book reads like a novel even though it is a biography. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Pre- and Post-Nasser era in Egypt and how it affected the Egyptian middle class of the time. Another book about Egypt during that era I would recommend is Samia Serag El-din's The Cairo House. Happy reading!

I wasn't sure what I would find when I chose this book. But Dr. Ahmed's thoughts on creating her identity and the societal forces that crafted her upbringing are astounding. Her tale of defining herself as a woman, an Egyptian, an Arab, a Muslim, and an American resonated very deeply with me.....

I wasn't sure what I would find when I chose this book. But Dr. Ahmed's thoughts on creating her identity and the societal forces that crafted her upbringing are astounding. Her tale of defining herself as a woman, an Egyptian, an Arab, a Muslim, and an American resonated very deeply with me.....

I thought that this book was amazing. I've read many books about Islam but I think that this book actually gave me a sense of what it means to be a Muslim. Sometimes when reading about religions we often only get an overview of the practices and beliefs of a religion but we rarely hear from believers of a particular religion and how they incorporate the beliefs of their religion into their everyday lives. For me, it was also interesting to read about Egypt during the 40's and 50's because it was something I have never studied before. It was interesting to see the religious diversity in Eygpt and how quickly that all changed with the rise of Nasser. Another thing I had never realized that Egyptians practically had the title Arab forced upon them, but most would never otherwise identify themselves as Arab. I think this book really exposed me to a world and a lifestyle that I had never known existed, and I think this is a must read for anyone who is open to seeing a new perspective on their world.

A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed is an interesting book and definitely worth your time. Within this book Ahmed confront issues of colonialism and differences between the Islam of women and that of men. The story is written as an autobiography as Ahmed recounts her childhood. The juxtaposition of the Egypt and England, where she goes to school, illuminates considerations of post-colonial loss of identity. A book that I strongly recommend for anyone interested in learning more about Islam.

A lyrical autobiography of several passages from her own
childhood to adulthood, passages to other countries and
passages within Egypt's history. Dr Ahmed's book provided
a revelation regarding the Islam of men, something we've
recently learned to fear, and the Islam of women, something
that as a Christian I could wrap my arms around. Her
discussion about the beauty of an aural tradition and how
the human voice breaths life into the words by adding vowels
was worth re-reading several times. I am not only recommending
this book to friends who simply love to read a good book
but to a study group that is looking for sources of
information on what it means to be Muslim.

Leila Ahmed's account gives a sensitive, intelligent and insightful point of view about a region that continues to dominate our attention. There is great charm to her account, but also sadness over a world that is no longer and over historical developments that went awry. At times one would wish her to be more forceful -she does not confront Edward Said, for instance, for his failure to criticize Nasser's dictatorship and personal ambition- but, then, it is evident that she comes from a world that she has not been able entirely to leave behind. For those who these days hold opinions that are anti-Arab or anti-Muslim, Ahmed's is a voice of reason and compassion, one that makes us realize that the picture is infinitely more complex than we had supposed it to be.

Leila Ahmed's account gives a sensitive, intelligent and insightful point of view about a region that continues to dominate our attention. There is great charm to her account, but also sadness over a world that is no longer and over historical developments that went awry. At times one would wish her to be more forceful -she does not confront Edward Said, for instance, for his failure to criticize Nasser's dictatorship and personal ambition- but, then, it is evident that she comes from a world that she has not been able entirely to leave behind. For those who these days hold opinions that are anti-Arab or anti-Muslim, Ahmed's is a voice of reason and compassion, one that makes us realize that the picture is infintely more complex than we had supposed it to be.

I LOVED this book. I have read another book by Leila Ahmed and found it a bit difficult to read, rather dense writing. But this book, ahhhhhh, where to start, what to say. For perhaps the first time ever I've actually wanted to contact the author of a book and thank him/her for the book, for the words, the thoughts, the analysis.... Not only did I thoroughly enjoy reading this book, curled up in bed or on the couch or in waiting rooms, but I learned a lot too. It's full of history and politics, without feeling like you're reading a textbook. And as a convert to Islam living in America, the idea of "crossing borders" really spoke to me and I could relate with a lot that Ahmed wrote, including the idea that you belong no where and yet belong everywhere at the same time. Being a convert in America, you're constantly crossing borders being very different worlds at home, with extended family, in the workplace, with your kids' schools, and when you travel abroad. And you really do belong everywhere and nowhere at once, but this book fleshes out this idea, it delves deeply into it in a way that others can understand.

I just LOVED this book and have gotten SO many friends to go buy it, that's the least I can do.....

A courageous trip in search of identity of a woman's inter and intracultural challenges. Growing up in an affluent Egyptian family where the British and European culture was "fashionable", she was confronted by the changes of the revolution, political turmoil and nationalism and its confrontation to the European imperialism. Leila Ahmed is courageously and insightfully analysing changes that influenced a whole generation and challenged her to search for answers. She travels in time from Egypt to England and finally as an immigrant in the US. She objectively and sensitively tries to unwind the entangled conflicts of politics, religion, and culture, through her personal experiences. As an Egyptian immigrant woman, although from a different generation, I have learned from this book about the modern history of Egypt and identified with some of her experiences as well. This is an eloquently written book and a fascinating journey!

The book was beautifully written, and parts of it were very interesting, but basically it was the autobiography of someone who's life wasn't particularly interesting. Ahmed's prose style is very good, but it couldn't carry the book for me. She made some interesting points about Islam and Moslem culture, but they were to few and far between.

Compared to Edward Said's memoir "Out of Place" this is a stunning accomplishment. Instead of new lies being offered to wash away old, unexplaned lies, Ahmed offers rare insight into her childhood. Also, as a woman I found the book of special interest as the author tells readers, in a most believable manner, about the particular problems of a woman in Egypt. I give this memoir my highest rating--five stars.

A Border Passage is not a typical autobiography. It has many elements of an autobiography, but it is also a book of well reasoned essays on some of the most difficult aspects of the history of Egypt and its culture. Essays on Islam, imperialism and on the identity and language of Egypt

Leila Ahmed recount of her childhood and upbringing in Cairo and Alexandria is beautifully written. Her complex relationship with and her views of her mother are an important theme in the first half of the book. Her analysis of the social impact of the colonial and post colonial on her own family and the events that surrounded her is particularly insightful.

In writing this book Leila Ahmed clearly has done a considerable amount of sole searching with objective detachment. She describes that process and articulates clearly her reasoning. You can actually sense the struggle and pain she went through to reach a particular conclusion. This is the work of a sensitive person with a superb analytical mind and an ability to reflect. I particularly enjoyed her pointing out of what was a recollection and knowledge in retrospect, in her process of understanding an issue or an emotion.

The book contains a very well researched and argued section on the "Arabization" of Egypt. Here, she presents why she is not an Arab, but rather an Egyptian, from a historical, cultural, linguistic and social viewpoint. She illustrates with significant historical substantiation Arabism in Egypt as a colonial invention. Yet, she appears to be willing to accept an Arab identity as well as an Egyptian one in the west, because of what she shares with Arabs in the west. She talks of two "Arabnesses", I think I understood her correctly, but I am not sure. If you are interested in the subject you will find this part very rewarding, and if you couldn't care less, it will still be fascinating. It is her search for an identity, and her willingness to accept an additional identity in the west so as not to see herself escaping, in vain, the negative connotations that she has dedicated her life to fight.

A Border Passage is remarkable in its political correctness. This, largely, comes across as natural political correctness, not forced or contrived. It comes across from Leila Ahmed's own suffering from racial, religious and gender discrimination. She tells of stories of a teacher giving her no grades, because he couldn't believe an Egyptian could do in English what she did. She tells of man a spitting in her face in England once he found out she is Egyptian not an Israeli. She also tells of American feminists not taking her seriously because she is a Moslem. As a result of her own experiences, she was very careful not to offend sensibilities particularly in the West.

This is a truly wonderful, sensitive, insightful, lyrical and brave book.