This book consists of a series of interviews with Arabic women in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Algeria. Because the women interviewed were personal contacts or contacts of contacts of the author, it almost comes across as snapshots in a personal photo album. Most of the women interviewed are leaders, women of prominence in their countries, or university professors like the author herself. The attitudes they express towards the state of women in their countries is remarkably similar, but the reader can't assume that these attitudes prevail in these countries because no attempt was made at trying to reach a representative sample of women. Nevertheless, the book is extremely interesting, informative, and thought-provoking. Many of the women interviewed point out the strength of women and their remarkable achievements during armed struggles. They rail against husbands who ignore their intellectual abilities and accomplishments while requiring them to be perfect house cleaners, cooks, and child care givers. A number of the women reflect that they themselves may be partly to blame in the way that they raise children, especially their sons. Almost universally, they are unhappy with their present state, but on the other hand, they would not want to have the lifestyle of European women. But do they understand the lives of European women any better than European women understand the lives of Arab women?