The Daily Hazards of a Middle Eastern Wife ― Black and White Edition

If you think a Middle Eastern marriage is something unfamiliar and exotic, filled with strange and unknowable customs…then you’re only partially right. While both Eastern and Western cultures have their unique take on marriage, many issues faced by future brides remain constant throughout the world.

The pressures of the first date, pre-wedding drama, and in-law approval are as familiar to women in Egypt as they are in New York. And just as the Western world has its peculiar quirks when it comes to relationships and weddings, women in the Arab world have their own set of expectations and traditions with which they must cope.

Just ask Middle Eastern housewife Soad Nasr, who shares her personal experiences and insights with a refreshing mix of candor and self-deprecating humor. Part autobiography, part informational guide, her book explores all the fascinating aspects of relationships, marriage, and starting a family in the Arab world—including a few more secretive traditions left unexplored in other works.

While bridging the gap between the Eastern and Western worlds, this entertaining and educational look at Middle Eastern marriage humorously highlights what makes our cultures so different—and, more importantly, how we are very much the same.