Dreams Of Trespass

Photo Of Book's Cover

Title Dreams Of Trespass: Tales Of A Harem Girlhood

Author Fatima Mernissi

ISBN 0-201-48937-6

Publisher Perseus Books

Category Non-Fiction: Muslim Women

Shira's Rating

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What It's About

Fatima Mernissi describes what it was like to grow up in the harem of a Moroccan household during the 1940's and early 1950's. She describes a world in which the family employs a doorman to prevent the women from leaving the house without permission from their husbands, a world in which an extended family of four households all lived under a single roof.

Dreams Of Trespass unveiled a very foreign culture on many levels. It spoke of the women's beauty secrets, what the family did for fun together in the evenings, what it was like to live in a home where one's father had multiple lives, the political landscape of French colonization and World War II, the music and movies of Arabic pop culture, and folk tales.

Although Mernissi writes with a clearly feminist point of view, she still speaks fondly of her childhood and the time spent with the extended family. She portrays a world very, very different from the U.S. where I grew up!

On the one hand, this is the simple autobiography of a girl who lived in a distinct culture and shared her experiences with the rest of us. The anecdotes of Mernissi's childhood adventures are endearing. On the other hand, it is a strong social commentary on the cultural practice of effectively imprisoning women in their homes.

Its Good Points

First and foremost, I liked the fact that this book was written in plain, everyday language. It is not weighted down with pompous scholarly text. In many ways, it felt like I was reading the diary of a girl whose life was very different from my own, and by the end of the book I felt as if she had become my friend. This was nice bedtime reading -- I didn't have to concentrate too hard, yet it absorbed me enough to free my mind from the hassles of the day.

Unlike some of the other books about the restrictions that Muslim women were forced to live under, this one gives a balanced perspective: both the good and the bad. Although Mernissi does speak out against the restrictions women endured in the culture of her childhood, the book was not one-sided. It told of affection for family members and fond memories. It acknowledged hardships, but didn't dwell on them. I felt like it was giving me a realistic glimpse of Mernissi's childhood world.

I also learned something of the history of Morocco, particularly of the French colonial era. The book didn't provide much detail on this, but just enough to fill in some gaps in my knowledge of Morocco.

On The Negative Side....

Although the book contained a number of photographs, they appeared to have been selected primarily for their artistic composition rather than their value in illustrating the text. They were small in size, and in many cases the artistic effects of foreground, shadow, or whatever made it difficult for me to see the elements of the picture that I was particularly interested in seeing.

In Conclusion

This was a wonderful book, and I'll probably read it a second time in the future. I would highly recommend it to any student of Middle Eastern dance or culture who would like to understand the lifestyle of Muslim society just a little better. It's easy and relaxing to read, but teaches so much. Few books can deliver well on both criteria, but this one does.