OvercommuniKate’s Reviews > Midnight in Cairo: The Divas of Egypt's Roaring '20s > Status Update

I wish there was more outside pop culture history used to contrast what was going on in Cairo. I feel like if you have no knowledge of the 1920s you're not going to see the differences because the author has such a narrow view. Specifically I think the diversity of religion and backgrounds is interesting and isn't all that different from Europe but that's based on my prior knowledge.

I think it's very obvious this author is a man without a pop culture background because, no it's not weird that women wrote more theater memoirs than men at this time, they had fewer economic opportunities. Writing a memoir is what you do when you need money. Plus, it was novel and interesting to the public.

The author isn't interrogating why there would be fewer Egyptian actresses. He's not questioning their rights, how they could make money, social freedoms, etc. he simply states it and moves on.

This is some BULLSHIT. A woman founding her own theater troupe before a feminist political organization formed is supposed to show the superiority of that woman to the female political organizers. Why are we pitting these women against each other without considering the patriarchal forces at play?

Oh no I think I'm going to hate this book if this Intro is accurate. Zero consideration of why there's a disconnect between "respectable" and "unrespectable" profession and status of women and how they interact in feminism movements.