world literature

I disagree with other reviewers who write that this book is an eye-opener to the terrible lives of Muslim women, or oppressed women in other places. This is absolutely true--it does give the reader a glimpse into the limited and terrifying lives of some Egyptian women; however, the book is much broader in scope than this aspect. This is a book for all women everywhere.

The specifics of the story involve an Egyptian woman who works as a prostitute, who kills a pimp and is executed. However, if you read this book and come away feeling that you are so lucky, or that the lives of "those" women over "there" are really oppressed, you have missed the bigger picture. Although the specifics mentioned above are true, the point of the story is much larger. This short novel is gut-wrenching at the superficial level, and life-wrenching if you read it more deeply. With spare prose and powerful imagery, it forces you to think about yourself and what you are doing with your life. It forces you to question for what you are selling your life. Although the main character is a tragic one, her journey and her intelligence teach her the meaning of freedom. This is one of the most profoundly existential books I've ever read.

This is not an easy read. It is not luxurious, or beautiful. It packs a punch, like a practiced boxer with a powerful left hook. A new friend recommended it to me and offered to lend me her copy. I agreed to borrow it and she ran to her bag and pulled it out--turns out she always carries it with her as an inspiration, although it's probably not the kind of inspiration you're thinking. Read this book. Challenge yourself. I'm ordering my own copy right now and will always have it with me, ready to lend to new friends or old friends.

This novel is a very fast read. I'm an average paced reader but got through this novella (about 105 pages) in about two hours which is hellishly fast.

The main story is framed between two smaller sections. Part one is only about 8 pages and the writing style within it is poor as is part three but this is purposefully done because it is from the point of view of a psychologist.

The meat of the story is heart-wrenching and ends in bittersweet triumphance. It's a gripping tale of a woman's search for freedom from the restrictions of her Egyptian/Arabic society. My only complaint is that the writing style isn't as great as I would have liked it to be but I have suspicion that this is the fault of the translator. It is certainly a page-turner that must be read in its entirity before a comment can be made. It gets better with each page. The storyline is excellent and it is very well constructed.

It questions male dominance in Arabic society while taking you on a saddening ride with Firdaus, the prostitue. We see the effects of the dominant men in her life including her uncle and father and how this leads to her desiring to be a prostitute. Perplexingly enough we see that she prefers the street-life.

Describing a woman looking for control and security, finally grasping it by commiting the ultimate sin which she finds to be no crime at all, Saadawi captures a disturbing picture of Egyptian society.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a good, quick, passionate read. One cannot help to sympathize with Firdaus and that's what makes this story so very sentimental.

Read it in its entirity, try to in one sitting if possible, it will truly make your day and leave a lasting impression in your mind, in your heart, and in your soul.

Unlike most of these reviews, it's important to remember that Woman At Point Zero does not limit our thoughts and knowledge to a middle east that many americans find so different or horrible, where "even Egypt" must have a *few* decent men. Instead of contrasting this important book's horrors to our "charmed" American life, I hope Americans begin to wonder how many of their own imprisoned people, including those on death row, have led less than charmed lives here in America. It's much easier for Americans to look outside for the bad things, isn't it? Nawal el-Saadawi's work is just as shocking and uncomfortable and risky to those in Egypt unwilling to face that country's ugliness, oppression, and exploitation of the poor, especially poor women.