This book was a dream and an honor to read. From these pages familiar names, characters, shows, dance styles, all came up on the trilling sound of zills from my memory. Confession - I trained, professionally performed, and taught as a belly dancer from 1999-2011 with some of the best teachers in the region. Let me stop your assumptions immediately - I did not just learn to wear shiny costumes, and paint kohl on my blue-green eyes, only to dance to Shakira. Ok...I DID dance to Shakira for fun, but I also learned the rhythms of the beledi, how to toss my hair in the ghawazi style, to correctly zaghareet, and absorbed the intricate differences between Raqs Sharqi, American Tribal Style, Shaabi, and Rakass. I even co-founded a Middle Eastern Alliance at my high school in the height of post 9/11 Islamophobia. We put on haflas (think potlucks with better food and lots of dancing) and helped bridge knowledge gaps in our conservative and deeply Republican community. I loved my years as a dancer before my knees decided to do me dirty. Reading 'Midnight in Cairo' gave me a hefty dose of the academic study of Eastern dance that I love so much and brought bakc wonderful memeories. Well done, Raphael Cormack. I am eternally grateful.

'Midnight in Cairo' is a thorough study of the rise of Egyptian nationalism through the mediums of dance, theater, and music. It begins with an examination of the beginnings of the pre-WWI cabaret scene in Cairo on the edge of the colonialism of the past and the future of the Near East on the horizon. It follows the lives of famous female performers through the late nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Telling their stories alongside the global movements of women's liberation, the rise of jazz, moving pictures, and recorded sound. It's a sweeping history carefully told.

If you are at all interested in de-centering the western narrative of historical movements, the history of belly dance, reading about badass ladies, or taking a look at the rise of the modern Near East through the lens of the performing arts - I highly recommend you read this book.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Raphael Cormack is an expert on Arabic culture, and his enthusiasm for this subject is as apparent as the quality of his research. I've vacationed in Egypt, and this title and cover art appealed to me, but I'm afraid I don't have the background or depth of knowledge to relate to the topic in a meaningful way. On our 2019 family vacation in Cairo and Luxor with 12 year old twins, we weren't checking out Ezbekiyya, or any other redlight districts.

In reading Midnight in Cairo I learned a lot about many of the entertainers featured, the history of Cairene theater, dance halls and cabarets, and an exotic mix of cultures. I enjoyed learning random tidbits for example of Mohammed Ali's 1805 massacre "of hundreds of the most powerful Mamluks who he'd invited to a party in Cairo's citadel"; and that belly dancing is "in some ways an American and European invention" (like fortune cookies!). Basically I found this chaotic history of segregated, cross-dressing, debauched, transgendered, disenfranchised, morally criticized, women to be interesting, yet hardly uplifting.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting read.

It's well researched and dives into the history of plays and public performances in Cairo. We learn about the women who lit up the stage and follow their careers throughout the twenties. There are some beautiful pictures and some detailed anecdotes that give us an idea of life in Egypt at the time. I would have liked to hear from more Egyptians and seen more pictures, but it is an informative read.

Overall a good find!

A very interesting book into a time period of Egypt that I know nothing of (I’m much more familiar with the age of the pyramids and the pharaohs). It turns out that 1920s Cairo was an exciting and changing time for the arts and entertainment. Cormack traces the roots of this change to late 19th century and early 20th century to the post WWII era when Egypt shook of European imperialism and changed everything again.

The most interesting thing was the importance of women to the arts and entertainment. I tend to think of a more conservative society associated with Egypt, and while that existed, Cairo sounded with the same excitement of possibilities and change that America and parts of Europe did during the 20s. It was multinational and also reflected its own cultural traditions. Women were entertainers, singers, dancers, actresses, magazine and troupe owners. This was also a time when the fight for women’s rights began. Cormack explores the often uneasy connection between the two. Women entertainers were often the embodiment of women’s rights: working and supporting themselves, living public lives, and making their own decisions about relationships. At the same time, these women were often distanced from the movement because their lifestyles could be scandalous and sometimes were thought to be prostitutes.

While many of the names are not remembered today, they made an impact and laid the foundations for many of the women entertainers of today. They should be rediscovered as should a fascinating time.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a lively account of the women who dominated Cairo nightlife in the 1910s and 20s. Cormack offers detailed narratives for each woman’s life and activities as singers, dancers, actors, producers, and influencers. There’s a lot of solid information but also a lot of repetition and some clear errors not caught in the editing process. It would have been helpful for Cormack to have included more nuanced context about the period, it’s politics, and mores, but if readers are looking for history that is relatively entertaining rather than scholarly, this will fit the bill.

Midnight in Cairo is a text well worth reading. Historical, well-researched, and a fascinating entry on the role of women over time.

Read if you: Want a dazzling and unique read about Egyptian female performers during the 20-50s.

Librarians/booksellers: This is a fascinating read! A great addition to your Middle East history section.

Many thanks to W.W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.