Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice

I caught the tail end of the sunset on my walk tonight.  Check it out - no filter!

In yesterday's post, I mentioned a few tricks of the trade that are effective for me during times of stress.  Another thing I do occasionally is try to read books to lift me out of my mood.  Children's books remind me of what's possible, to always look at the good, and that an adventure is just over the next hill.  My typical fiction choices help me get lost in someone else's story.

And then, at times, I choose topics that remind me, point blank, just how good I have it.

Like this one:

In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD.

In my book-buying spree a few weeks ago, I picked up a few memoirs of various women spending time in various Middle Eastern countries.  This is the first one I've read so far.  Because of the extremely controversial and passionate topics she writes about, I could go on and on forever.  So, I'll purposefully condense this to the good, the bad, and the ugly about the book itself.  (I almost said the good, the bad, and the Saudi.  But that's just taking it too far, right?  Yeah, too far.)

The Good

I was attracted to this story because the author is board-certified in several types of medicine, is a Pakistani raised and educated in The United Kingdom, and has practiced medicine for years in the U.S. as well.  What would make her decide to up and go to Saudi Arabia in the middle of her career?  (Turns out it was an expiring American visa, but anyhoo).  I admire her sense of adventure and her openness to learn more about her Muslim culture.

I'm not a huge fan of her writing style (more on that in a minute) but she does a great job of making you feel like you are there with her.  I particularly appreciated this when she described what it was like to go to Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that lasts several days and involves many religious rituals).  I feel like I was there!

Also, I appreciate her descriptions of wearing the veil and all the controversy surrounding it (the women are expected to wear the veil at all times, even when conducting surgery, even when undergoing surgery!), how people navigate romance in a country where the sexes can never be alone unless they are related, and where women are allowed virtually no independence (at that time - I'm not sure if anything has changed in the last 5 years or so - women could not drive at all, or be out in public alone, or travel anywhere inside or outside the country without written permission from a male relative).  I appreciate her attention to detail in describing her surroundings, from the people to the places to the emotions they provoked in her.

The Bad

Her story is interesting, her writing is not.  She uses adjectives like they are going out of style, and in many places she could have conveyed her point more succinctly in a couple of paragraphs versus a few pages.  I found myself getting bored and wanting to put the book down, and then deciding to plow through it, knowing it would get good again.  So, it was good enough for me to finish, but I wouldn't recommend it simply because I was so aware throughout the book that I didn't like how it was written.

The Ugly

I read this book in order to gain an appreciation for the struggles of people (women) in other cultures, and boy did it do the trick.  The title of this post refers to the ethics police in Saudi Arabia, who raid restaurants, shopping malls, even cars stopped in traffic, in order to try to catch people in sin.  Couples must carry their marriage license with them to prove they are married, just in case.  If foreign nationals are caught inter-mingling or if the females are caught out in public alone, they could be deported.  If they are found to be doing anything inappropriate (like, talking!) with Saudis, the Saudi nationals could be imprisoned or put under house arrest.  It's insane!

The author was finishing up her years of service in the Saudi Kingdom during 9/11.  She tells of Saudis joyfully clapping and ordering special cakes in the hospital, even in the presence of crying American nurses who were serving them.  She tells of seemingly good and normal acquaintances of hers that openly hate Jews and teach their children the same.  They see no disconnect in following a religion of "love" and practicing hate, of following a religion (and a career!) that values life, but believing it is acceptable to kill infidels.  These are people who were educated in American, often by Jews.  These are people who were only allowed to achieve this level of success through American institutions and teaching.  I knew this type of hatred existed, but it was still so disturbing to read about it.

The Bottom Line

If you are interested in this topic, give it a try.  If this sounds boring then trust me, it will be, and pass on this one.