In Tunisia, Wasta Kills When It Comes to Covid-19
Our correspondent in Tunis, Emna Mizouni, reports on the vaccination crisis exacerbated by wasta.
Spare Me the Empathy Tantrum: Rafia Zakaria’s “Against White Feminism”
Myriam Gurba reviews a book that argues that some “white feminists accept the benefits conferred by white supremacy at the expense of people of color.”
Palestine in the World: “Palestine: A Socialist Introduction”
Jenine Abboushi reviews the recent anthology of essays on socialism in the context of Palestinian resistance.
Arab Women and The Thousand and One Nights
Malu Halasa reviews a new anthology of Arab women writers on sex, love and lust, including “the leading lights of modern Arab fiction: Hanan al-Shaykh, Adhaf Soueif, Leila Slimani and Adania Shibli.”
The Maps of Our Destruction: Two Novels on Syria
Rana Asfour reviews Faysal Khartash’s Roundabout of Death and Zeyn Joukhadar’s The Map of Salt and Stars.
War Diary: The End of Innocence
Arie Amaya-Akkermans investigates Agenda 1979: Imagine sitting at home in the presence of a handbook for destroying, bombing, maiming and injuring. The poet Etel Adnan features prominently.
I was a French Muslim—Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter
Mischa Geracoulis reviews the memoir from Algerian freedom fighter Mokhtar Mokhtefi.
Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt’s Roaring 20s
Selma Dabbagh reviews the story of Egypt’s pioneering women performers and feminists, including Oum Khoulthum and Munira al-Maydiyya.
Book Reviews, Weekly
The Triumph of Love and the Palestinian Revolution
Fouad Mami reviews Susan Abulhawa’s powerful new novel “Against the Loveless World,” about Palestinians in a revolutionary mode.
World Picks: May – June 2021
Travel the world, meet people, see great places, without ever leaving the comfort of your screen…welcome to the pandemic!
Why WALLS?
“I would like to break the walls of ignorance between East and West.” Walls and barriers are what we erect when we have no words.
The Murals of “Education is Not a Crime”
Saleem Vaillancourt describes the worldwide mural campaign spearheaded by Maziar Bahari on behalf the Baha’i community to speak out about Iran’s persecution of its largest religious minority.