Review by Sarah Khattab

The short:

A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed is a reflective memoir that explores the complexities of identity, feminism, and Islam through the lens of her upbringing in Egypt and her later experiences living in America.

The long:

In A Border Passage, Leila Ahmed takes readers on a deeply personal journey from her childhood in Egypt to her academic career in the United States. With poetic, nostalgic descriptions, she vividly recalls her early life in Cairo, pulling in the reader into the rhythms of her family’s world and the cultural landscape of mid-20th-century Egypt.

To read or not to read:

Read! While it’s slow-paced, the memoir touches on timeless themes like belonging, faith, and gender, making it especially relatable for readers in the Arab American diaspora today