Books on Egypt

Max Robenbeck, in an interview with the excellent new Economist literary blog Prospero, notes the relative dearth of books on contemporary Egypt — especially non-academic ones. (There are quite a good range of highly focused academic books, however.

I'd like to mention my friend Sanna Negus newly released Hold on to your veil, Fatima! as a quite good general introduction to many issues, particularly on women. Sanna lived in Cairo for years, and her books was quite successful in her native Finland. This is an updated translation. If you don't know much about Egypt and want a broad look at some of the most salient political and social issues the country has to face, it seems like a good bet. More on the book when I finish it...