Headscarves And Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy

Review by: Helana Reyad

The short
In a feminist manifesto decrying misogyny, Mona Eltahawy, a force to be reckoned with, illustrates the conceptual and palpable realities that inform lives of women in the MENA region.

The long
In this book, Mona Eltahawy carries her experience as first and foremost a woman born and raised in the MENA and then a journalist, social commentator, and activist to articulate Egypt’s undergoing of two revolutions. One against political and economic structures and the other against cultural norms and systems – two of which cannot succeed without each other.

To read or not to read?
Read! You do not need to be a woman from the MENA region to relate to it. Any minority woman will be able to relate to this. Men should read this to understand the compounding realities that work to oppress women in all contexts, but in this specific book within the MENA context.