Fire In The Belly: A Memoir of Falafel, Flings, and Shiny Things

by Zaina Brown

"A rare, brutally honest and gritty glimpse into the life of a foreign bellydancer in the Middle East, and the adventures of an intrepid world traveler." - Tamalyn Dallal, Author of 40 Days and 1001 NightsBurned out from the Manhattan hookah lounge hamster wheel, bellydancer Zaina decides to travel to Cairo for a few months of cultural immersion. Time away from New York makes the idea of returning to her old life unbearable, so Zaina reaches out to a famed Lebanese entertainment agent. He quickly sends her off to Bahrain for a bellydance contract, the first of many around the Arab world. Performing on stages in luxurious hotels is a dream come true, but nightlife in Arab countries is an underworld rife with pimps, hookers, and a cast of seedy characters. On top of it all, Zaina's life is in the hands of an elderly, unpredictable Lebanese man, and she’s always just one misstep away from losing everything.Between work assignments, Zaina sets out on solo travels in sub-Saharan Africa and the less trodden corners of Arabia. She spars with the police in Somaliland and Western Sahara, disguises herself as a local woman for a tryst in Yemen, enters the rebel-held zone in Côte d'Ivoire, and witnesses the sudden start of the Egyptian revolution. Zaina learns to seek safety in the kindness of strangers, and to ignore their well-meaning concern. While changing countries at a rapid pace, romantic relationships bloom, then crash and burn. Fire In The Belly is a captivating story about the price of ambition, the flipside of dreams, and a young woman's passionate quest to discover the world.

Genres: Memoir

357 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2019

About the author

www.WorldOfDancers.com
www.Facebook.com/WorldOfDancers
www.Facebook.com/FireInTheBellyBook
Instagram: @fire.in.the.belly

Zaina Brown is the creator of World Of Dancers, an online community of art lovers, as well as a professional bellydancer, relentless traveler, writer, and filmmaker. She began her dance career in her native Finland before relocating to the US in 2003. After years of dancing in the New York area, Zaina took her career overseas. She has worked as a bellydancer in Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, Yemen, Tunisia, Mali, Morocco, Algeria, Turkey, Thailand, and India. Her documentary "Traveling Bellydancer in India" (2015), https://vimeo.com/147516421 , has screened at Ridgewood Guild Film Festival in New Jersey, the Festival of Colors in Brooklyn, New York, and is the winner of the Canadian ACCOLADE AWARD. Her book "Fire In The Belly: A Memoir of Falafel, Flings, and Shiny Things" (2019) is available on Amazon.

Reviews

[Julie Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely packed full of travels. A fast moving read.

I really enjoyed this book. Zaina Brown grew up in Finland. She first started belly dancing at the age of 13. After seeing an advert in her local newspaper, she started taking classes, and from early on, she knew it was for her. From those first stirrings, and having a new hobby, she never realised it could be possible to become a professional performer and where it would take her. Zaina did indeed become a professional belly dancer, and this would take her on many travels, from Egypt, to Bahrain, Yemen, India, Sri Lanka, Kenya, and many more. In her memoir she tells about her dancing and performing life, also extensive travels, seeing the sights, the different cultures, the different foods etc.

A fast moving read with fairly brief chapters-but not too short. It was absolutely packed full of travels. Richly detailed and varied, a very enjoyable book.

[Jill Dobbe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging and fast-paced read that takes readers on page-turning adventures. Seeing the middle East through a belly-dancer's eyes is a unique experience, and one that is highly entertaining. As a traveler and someone who has lived in Cairo, Egypt, I enjoyed and could relate to the author's descriptions of the people and places unique to that part of the world. I highly recommend it!

[Ronald Mackay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zaina Brown’s fascinating book lives up totally to the promise in the extended title “A Memoir of Falafel, Flings and Shiny Things” and the shiniest thing of all is the personality of the author. She comes through as sparkling and her writing as polished, insightful and intelligent.

I began “Fire in the Belly” with trepidation. As a middle-aged, conservative Scot, I worked throughout the Middle East for a time, was once forced (much against my will) onto a stage to cavort with a belly-dancer and forever after, carried questions in my mind: Why would a young woman choose to become a belly-dancer? Why might she choose to live at the source of that form of entertainment where the culture is so foreign? Where expectations are so unpredictable?

I reached the epilogue with all my questions amply answered, my appreciation enhanced for those parts of the world where the author chose to work against all odds, and a profound admiration for Zaina Brown.

“Fire in the Belly” is a book full of all that is hinted at in the title, as well as insight and penetration written in a captivating manner by a talented and resolute young woman.

[Suvi Turunen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing travel memoir will give you a sneak peek to a traveling bellydancer's world. Author is working on different dance contracts in Asia, Middle East and Africa. Amidst the contracts she is traveling to the most peculiar places. As a single female solo traveler life can be hard on the road in the patriarchal countries. The book reveals the highs and lows of independent traveling on the distant Saharan dirt roads and for comparison the very high-end hotel life in UAE.
The memoir opens a window to so many places you didn't even know to exist. Also it evoked strong feelings of gratitude and empathy, that's why it's a great book!

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page turner right from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir by author Zaina Brown and have struggled to write the review as there are so many layers and I wanted to do the book justice.
Zaina, originally from Finland, had wanted to become a bellydancer from an early age. She arrives in New York City at the age of 22 to study belly dance with a world renowned Egyptian teacher. She continues to study and work for 3 years in and around New York until she becomes depressed with her life there. She decides to book herself to Cario to find work.
From there on things get real. The author takes you not only through the underworld of belly dancing, with loads of shady characters, but her zest for travel off the beaten track. Nothing seems off limits for Zaina, from the faraway village of Shaharah somewhere in Yemen to crossing from Muslim Mali into animist Dogon.
Zaina's belly dancing and off the beaten track travels (some very dangerous) take you through Bahrain, Beirut, Abidjan, Sharm el Sheikh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Kampala, the Democratic Republic of Congo and many more unique faraway places.
I found myself in awe of this author and her tenacity in the face of adversity and highly recommend this memoir.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be a truly remarkable memoir. What a truly fascinating life the author has had. Zaina grew up in Finland very far from where you would expect to discover an interest in belly dancing. However her interest became a passion and eventually she moved to New York to study to study with an expert. Having gained experience she travels to Egypt with a view to becoming a professional dancer. Her descriptions of the tough world of dancing, waiting on contracts, constantly having to be on the alert for shady characters are truly eye opening. This is decidedly not a job for the faint hearted. As well as dancing Zaina is driven by a desire to explore the world and her travels take her into some amazing and often dangerous places. What a spirit she has - definitely a ‘fire in the belly’ I’m in awe of her bravery and adventurous character. What a super read. Highly recommended.

[Eric Furrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was captivating from start to end, it was really difficult to put it down. This fast paced memoir makes you to travel to many countries and cultures, places like Somaliland and Western Sahara that you don't usually hear about. Also, it's fascinating to hear about the Middle Eastern entertainment industry, with all its shady characters, I knew nothing about that prior to reading this book. Definitely recommended!

[Najla Raqs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two sittings. As a traveling belly dancer myself I found many of Zaina's experiences relatable, but what impressed me most was Zaina's fearlessness and insightfulness. Her memoir is fast-paced and entertaining. It's probably the most honest depiction of a professional entertainer's life in the Middle East that I have read. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves a good story.

[Asli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish it. I started to read as part of Bellydancer book club but find her description of Middle East problematic as it just fuel stereotypes. I gave two stars because her writing was easy too read.