Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi memoir of a childhood in Morocco during the 1940s explores women growing up in a traditional Muslim household, crossing boundaries, and developing solidarity (grades 9-12).

Persepolis I by Marjane Satrapi, graphic novel set in Iran made into a film in 2007 (grades 10-12).

Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea uses emails to tell the story of a group of contemporary young women in Saudi Arabia.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner addresses the experience of women under the Taliban in Afghanistan (Grades 11-12).

Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi is a hard hitting depiction of the life of a poor woman in Egypt (grades 11-12).

Two Women, film from Iran about the difference for women from life in a modern vs. traditional household (10-12).

Iran Awakening by Shirin Ebadi, memoir of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate (11-12).

Jasmine and Stars: Reading More Than Lolita in Tehran by Fatemeh Keshavarz is an important corrective for the teacher to consider the depictions of women of the Middle East that come to the US.

Additional possibilities for literature addressing women in the Middle East.