Deb's Monday Media
Monday Med2ia



The Virgins of Paradise
Barbara Wood
This is a novel about a family of women living in Cairo and the shocking difference in their lives inside the women's quarters of their home on Paradise Street, and when they step out of the doors into the street as women in a muslim culture. A beautiful book.

Soul Flame
Barbara Wood
This was the first Barbara Wood book that I read and I was hooked! The title and the cover make it seem like a cheesy romance, but it is in fact a very rich and interesting historical novel. The main character is a woman healer from the middle east in the time of Ceasar, who makes her way alone and against many difficulties and injustices, across many lands until she comes to Rome. I honestly don't recall if henna was mentioned at all in this book, I read it long before I discovered henna, but it takes place in many countries that have rich henna traditions and reveals much into the history of these cultures. An incredible, consuming read!

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
Jean Sasson
This book is written by a woman who was born into life as an Arabian Princess, and she "tells all" about the treatment that she and other women she knew received there. It is quite shocking. Not the most well written book, but an amazing story nonetheless.

Stolen Lives : Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
Malika Oufkir
This incredible true story is about a young girl who was the daughter of an important general in Morocco. At the age of 5 she was adopted by King Mohammad V and went to live in the palace to be raised as sister to his daughter, and for a while led a life of luxury and priviledge. Later when Hassan II came into power, her father the General was found guilty of treason, so Malika and her mother and five siblings were imprisoned for 20 years in the desert. This is an incredible accounting of their hardships, how they survived, and how they eventually escaped. A fabulous book!

As a side note, the father of a friend of mine was in the Moroccan army, served under General Oufkir, and served time in prison following the coup against Hassan II. He told me that this incredible story is indeed true.


The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry
Bryan Sykes
I have mentioned this book many times on this forum, and if you haven't read it yet you are really missing out! Anyone who is intrigued by the cultures of the world should read this. The author, a genetics professor, has found a way to trace mitochondrial DNA back through history to show that all people of western heritage are descended from one of 7 women who lived during the Ice Age. It is an absolutely incredible book. The first part of the book is about the science that brought him to this discovery (like a real life Michael Crichton book), and the second half is the "story" of each of the seven mothers and what their lives could have been like in the Ice Age.

I like to refer to this book when people say that a white girl can't do henna :~)


Do you want to send in your Monday Media and get treats?  Go HERE for instructions!

Go back to the Monday Media Index


Can't find what you want here?  Try The Henna Page Main Index.