Saturday Samplers Book Group to Discuss "In the Land of Invisible Women"

Bernardsville Library’s book group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, February 6 at 3:30 pm to discuss “In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom” (2008) by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD. [The author will not be present.]

After being denied a visa to remain in the U.S., British-born Ahmed, a Muslim woman of Pakistani origin, takes advantage of an opportunity, before 9/11, to practice medicine in Saudi Arabia. Publishers Weekly described this memoir as “a journey into a complex world readers will find fascinating and at times repugnant. She discovers her new environment is defined by schizophrenic contrasts that create an ‘absurd clamorous clash of modern and medieval.’” The book has been published internationally in 13 countries including in translation and is now in its 12th edition.

Author Gail Sheehy wrote of the book, “In this stunningly written book, a Western trained Muslim doctor brings alive what it means for a woman to live in the Saudi Kingdom. I’ve rarely experienced so vividly the shunning and shaming, racism and anti-Semitism, but the surprise is how Dr. Ahmed also finds tenderness at the tattered edges of extremism, and a life-changing pilgrimage back to her Muslim faith.”

Dr. Qanta Ahmed is now a subspecialist board certified sleep disorders specialist and faculty attending physician in the Department of Medicine as part of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York. She also she practices sleep disorders medicine in Garden City at the Winthrop University Sleep Disorders Center where she treats adolescents and adults of all ages. She is now embarking on her second book, a non-fiction work which will focus on interfaith relations between Muslims and Jews.

Led by Program/PR Assistant Evelyn Fischel, Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com. No sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.