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Mona Eltahawy

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Mona Eltahawy is a freelance Egyptian-American journalist, and social commentator based in New York City. She has written essays and op-eds for publications worldwide on Egypt and the Islamic world, including women's issues and Muslim political and social affairs.
11 books on the list
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Next Level book cover
Next Level
Your Guide to Kicking Ass, Feeling Great, and Crushing Goals Through Menopause and Beyond
Stacy T. Sims PhD, Selene Yeager - 2022-05-17
Goodreads Rating
"Next Level" is a science-based guide to optimizing peak performance for active women going through menopause. Renowned exercise and nutrition scientist, Dr. Stacy Sims, explains the hormonal changes causing symptoms and offers expert advice on training, nutrition, sleep and recovery, and supplements. With sample exercise routines, meal plans, and real-life case studies, this guide is a must-read for women looking to navigate menopause and maintain their fitness goals.
Mona Eltahawy
2023-01-16T03:08:06.000Z
@fitserbmomma Exactly that book! I love it      source
Culture Warlords book cover
Culture Warlords
My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy
Talia Lavin - 2020-10-13
Goodreads Rating
Go undercover with Talia Lavin, a smart and unapologetic Jewish woman who takes on the online world of hate in Culture Warlords. Journey into the heart of white supremacy and discover the extremists hiding in plain sight, from Incels to Christian extremists. In this shocking and humorous book, Lavin exposes the tactics and ideologies of these hate groups and shows us how we can fight back against online hate.
Mona Eltahawy
2021-01-12T03:49:02.000Z
I am sure @chick_in_kiev’s brilliant book is being recommended every day. Today, it’s my turn to recommend it. Read this. Talia writes powerfully about the need to make fascism socially unacceptable. Read this.      source
You're the Only One I've Told book cover
You're the Only One I've Told
The Stories Behind Abortion
Meera Shah - 2020-09-01
Goodreads Rating
This thought-provoking book shares the personal stories of individuals who have had abortions, collected by a doctor who herself provides the service. Through a diverse range of ages, races, socioeconomic factors and experiences, the book seeks to humanize the issue and combat negative myths surrounding it. At a time where reproductive rights are at risk, it reminds us of the importance of empathy and motivating advocacy. Recommended for those looking for eye-opening, compelling stories that break down stigmas and promote understanding.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-08-25T20:15:16.000Z
I was happy to blurb a book by an abortion provider who is a woman of colour and whose book “highlights the experiences of women of color, and incorporates the perspectives of a trans person seeking an abortion and the male partner of a woman who chose to end her pregnancy.”      source
Free Women of Spain book cover
Free Women of Spain
Anarchism and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women
Martha Ackelsberg - 2004-06-01 (first published in 1991)
Goodreads Rating
"Free Women of Spain" is a powerful study of the Mujeres Libres, a group of courageous women who organized for community, education, and equality during the Spanish Revolution. With over 20,000 women mobilized, Martha Ackelsberg intertwines interviews with the women themselves and analysis connecting them with modern feminist movements. This comprehensive study is a must-read for those interested in the history of women's activism.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-07-17T21:50:18.000Z
I am writing a longer piece that I will turn into a book about anarchist feminists of colour. Date to be announced. Here’s another book I reviewed and recommended      source
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments book cover
Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
Intimate Histories of Riotous Black Girls, Troublesome Women, and Queer Radicals
Saidiya Hartman - 2020-01-14 (first published in 2019)
Goodreads Rating
Explore the radical social transformation of black intimate life in early 20th century Philadelphia and New York with Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments. Author Saidiya Hartman examines the sweeping changes that challenged traditional Victorian beliefs about courtship, love, and marriage. Through the stories of young black women who desired a different existence than domestic service and respectable poverty, Hartman shows how they shaped a cultural movement that transformed the urban landscape. This deeply researched and beautifully written book recovers their radical aspirations and insurgent desires.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-07-17T21:39:41.000Z
When I met Saidiya Hartman in 2019, I told her I was an anarchist and thanked her for centering the anarchism of young Black women in her glorious book, Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments.      source
Recommended by
Suzannah Lipscomb
Elegies book cover
Elegies
Muriel Rukeyser - 2013-09-24
Goodreads Rating
Elegies: a collection of poignant and timely poems that reflect on the difficulties of living in a modern world, written over seven years during World War II, the Spanish Civil War, and the beginnings of the Cold War. These poems offer no easy answers, only a powerful reflection on the human experience in a time of great conflict and upheaval.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-07-05T13:14:09.000Z
Haven’t read a book in weeks. I’ve finally started to write again. One of project is on Umm Kalthoum and poetry. Reading this makes me love Muriel Rukeyser even more than I do already. She dedicated it to Otto Bloch.I’m obsessed w/their love at the start of the Spanish Civil War      source
Left of Karl Marx book cover
Left of Karl Marx
The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones
Carole Boyce Davies - 2008-02-05 (first published in 2007)
Goodreads Rating
"Left of Karl Marx" by Carole Boyce Davies explores the life and legacy of Claudia Jones, an Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual and feminist who expanded Marxism-Leninism to incorporate gender and race in her activism. Jones was a prolific writer, speaker, and community organizer who faced persecution for her communist beliefs. Despite her struggles, Jones founded a London-based newspaper and the Caribbean Carnival, which remains a vibrant annual festival. This book contextualizes Jones within Caribbean intellectual traditions, black U.S. feminism, and the history of communism, providing insight into a powerful figure often overlooked by historians.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-07-03T23:13:34.000Z
Get yourself this book: Left of Karl Marx - The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones by Carole Boyce Davies      source
An Arab Melancholia/ Native Agents book cover
An Arab Melancholia/ Native Agents
Abdellah Taia - 2012-04-01 (first published in 2008)
Goodreads Rating
A powerful autobiographical novel about a gay Arab man navigating cultural identity through love and writing. Spanning two decades and three countries, the story traces his journey from a lower-class neighborhood in Morocco to Paris and Cairo. Raw and poignant, this book is an incantation and a love letter, and a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Arab world.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-06-23T17:25:23.000Z
@SuperlativeAdj Abdullah’s book! I always thought of it as autofiction but in any case required reading!      source
Cantoras book cover
Cantoras
A novel
Carolina de Robertis - 2019-09-03
Goodreads Rating
A genre-defining masterpiece about five wildly different women who find each other as lovers, friends, and family during the Uruguayan dictatorship. In a political climate where homosexuality is dangerous, these "cantoras" discover an isolated sanctuary where they can live authentically. Over 35 years, their lives move back and forth between their sanctuary and Montevideo. A breathtaking portrait of queer love, community, forgotten history, and the strength of the human spirit.
Mona Eltahawy
2020-03-01T18:03:13.000Z
CANTORAS is one of my favourite books ever! Read this book. It’s brilliant.      source
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
The Unexpected Love Objects of Dunya Noor by Rana Haddad