Informative read - Rated 
I picked this book up in a used book shop in 1986. I had studied Arabic but knew little about the region, so this served as an entree for me, and a useful one, at that. Because the setting is rural Iraq of the 1960's (or was it 50's?), we get to see society from this part of the world at its real core. There is no need to peel off the veneer of the more modern society to try to devine what lies beneath - there is no veneer. I found it useful not only in understanding what is different about society in this part of the Middle East, but also in understanding what is at least common to my own society, if not universal to us all. As a snapshot in time, it is also a great window into a world we won't see again. I recommend this in the same way that I recommend Memories of Silk and Straw for a look at pre-war rural Japan. You can see how much the societies have changed and - perhaps - fathom how much of a jar that change has proven.
interesting and fun to read - Rated 
I picked up this book as a result of a Cultural Anthropology class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Fernea never claims to be a trained anthropologist at the time she traveled to Iraq, she merely recounts her experiences as they happened. She was traveling with her anthropologist husband. For those who say she was a tourist who suddenly claimed to be an expert, I think they should have read her comments more closely. Perhaps they are among those who skip to chapter 1 without reading the foreward??? Let me stress again, Fernea was only recording her experiences as an American woman in a remote Iraqi village. Upon returning to the US she continued to study the region, and went on to teach Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas at Austin. I would hardly say she took a little vacation and immediately claimed to be an expert! Obviously, her life in the village of El Nahra impacted her life greatly. This book was great, and very readable. I would recommend it to anyone curious about women's life in remote Iraqi society.
Informative and highly readable - Rated
I was so pleased to see that Amazon sells this book by Ms. Ferneau. I read it about 5-6 years ago in a freshman college anthropology class and have thought of it ever since. Her writing was easy to read and she truly made you feel as if you were there with her experiencing Arab life for yourself. This is a wonderful read for anyone interested in learning more about other cultures especially from a female perspective.
unbiased, informative, and entertaining - Rated
I recently read Guests of the Sheik for one of my classes. Not only did I find the book informative, but I was also so enthralled by it that I found myself neglecting other work. Many of the other books that I have read for my class I find to be cluttered with the author's prejudices. When Fernea to Iraq with her husband she was not a social anthropologist, like her husband. She did not have the base of over-analyzation that many "orientalists" write from. Her book is entirely observation without judgement. If you want to read about women's life in a veiled society, this is perfect. You'll be surprised at what you discover about this culture, which is so often portrayed as oppressive and backwards.
A Poor Attempt - Rated 
What is this trend that we Americans seem to be following? We visit foreign country, meet the natives, learn very little about their culture and customs, and suddenly we are experts worthy of writing books on our experiences. This is the unfortunate case in this travesty. Elizabeth Warnock Fernea is the only person who could have celebrated Ramadan in Iraq without understanding the significance of the celebration. Her prose is boring, and every chapter is merely a very brief overview of the subject. I spent the entire book hoping the next chapter would be better than the one I was reading. It never was.
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