Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of Young Women Who Are Transforming the Arab World

Zoepf's first book following years of reporting in the Middle East provides a unique look into the issues concerning basic women's rights in that region. She offers a poignant overview of the small but powerful measures taken by individual women and women's groups in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to forward some semblance of personal rights and delivers an intimate look into the subtly changing attitudes toward the roles of women in these societies. Zoepf's background, having come of age as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, allows her to offer a perspective that is often difficult to find among Western critics of Middle Eastern human rights issues. Given the ubiquitous nature of human rights violations, works focused on these topics tend to be strong, resounding cries for immediate change interlaced with substantial horror stories relating the realities of the atrocious contraventions of human rights. The author recognizes that social change, especially where religion is at the center of the discussion, is slow moving and requires delicacy in its efforts. Through interviews, conversations, and a general immersion, Zoepf shares the stories of these individuals who are working toward social change.