Woman at Point Zero - Book Review

I enjoyed reading this book and found myself intriqued as Firdus tells her story. The tragic life that this poor woman has lived and what it has forced her to do is fascinating. Growing up in an abusive home, being beaten frequently for no reason, taken advantage of sexually, sexually abused by even her family, and then to grow up still having to endure this again and again without ever having something good happen to her, it's no wonder she murders a pimp and doesn't fear death. I sypathized with her and tried to think wether I would act any differently myself in her situation. Although Egypt has changed quite a bit since the time Firdus was alive I find myself wondering how many poor girls have been treated in the same way since then. The fact that Firdus' uncle did what he did to her and was a student at Al-Azhar (The best school in the world for Quaranic Studies) makes me wonder how he could live with himself after having been so sinful by Muslim standards. It seems to me that everyone Firdus runs into is lacking in moral character and the poor girl is on this never-ending spiral downward until death. I feel sorry that she developed such a negative view of life but it's not hard to see why. Although I would reccomend this book to others, I would caution them not to take it to be the way most Egyptians behave. It is a far cry from the behavior of Egyptians I know today.