Nadia Wassef. (2021). Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller. Unabridged Dreamscape Media.

Nadia Wassef. 2021. Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller. Dreamscape Media.

Nadia Wassef, Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller. Dreamscape Media, 2021.

Nadia Wassef. Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller. Unabridged Dreamscape Media, 2021.

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   • bioText: Nadia Wassef is one of the owners of Diwan, Egypt's first modern bookstore, which she co-founded in 2002 with her sister, Hind. She received an MFA from Birkbeck College at the University of London, a Master in Social Anthropology from the University of London, and a Master in English from American University in Cairo. Before Diwan, she worked in research and advocacy for the Female Genital Mutilation Taskforce and in the Women and Memory Forum.
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The streets of Cairo make strange music: the echoing calls to prayer, the raging insults hurled between drivers, the steady crescendo of horns honking, the shouts of street vendors, the television sets and radios blaring from every sidewalk. Nadia Wassef knows this song by heart. In 2002, with her sister, Hind, and their friend, Nihal, she founded Diwan, a fiercely independent bookstore. They were three young women with no business degrees, no formal training, and nothing to lose. At the time, nothing like Diwan existed in Egypt. Culture was languishing under government mismanagement, and books were considered a luxury, not a necessity. Ten years later, Diwan had become a rousing success, with ten locations, 150 employees, and a fervent fan base. Frank, fresh, and very funny, Nadia Wassef's memoir tells the story of this journey. Its eclectic cast of characters features Diwan's impassioned regulars, like the demanding Dr. Medhat; Samir, the driver with CEO aspirations; meditative and mythical Nihal; silent but deadly Hind; dictatorial and exacting Nadia, a self-proclaimed bitch to work with; and the many people, mostly men, who said Diwan would never work. Shelf Life is a portrait of a country hurtling toward revolution, a feminist rallying cry, and an unapologetic crash course in running a business under the law of entropy. Above all, it is a celebration of the power of words to bring us home.

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   • content: Listeners will delight in this memoir by the strong-willed and always opinionated Nadia Wassef, one of the co-owners of Diwan, a group of independent bookstores founded in Cairo in 2002. Narrator Vaneh Assadourian's lively cadences and emphatic tone perfectly suit this inspiring story. She brings forth the enthusiasm and feisty determination of this passionate advocate for intellectual freedom and women's rights. Hearing Assadourian convey the pleasures experienced by female customers as they browse the shelves stocked with books in multiple languages, enjoy a snack in a shop caf�, or even avail themselves of one of the few public restrooms available for women is a listening treat. Assadourian's fluency with English, Arabic, and French words is impressive. An uplifting and memorable listen. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
2. • premium: True
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   • content:

     July 26, 2021
     In this bold and humorous debut, Wassef reflects on founding a modern bookstore, “the first of its kind in Cairo,” at a critical time in the early aughts when Egypt’s illiteracy rate was at an all-time high and revolution was on the horizon. With her sister, Hind, and friend, Nihal, Wassef made her passion for books into a profession and together the three women opened their bookstore, Diwan, in 2002, in the face of a patriarchal society and “bureaucratic despots.” Wassef details the business’s evolution, over her 14 years running it, from an audacious dream to the national success and household name it continues to be today, with several locations operating across Egypt. In chapters cleverly named after sections of the bookstore—from “Pregnancy and Parenting” to “Egypt Essentials”—she braids personal anecdotes, historical context, and day-to-day interactions with regulars (including the occasional disgruntled customer who tries to return a book purely because they didn’t like it). Occasionally, Wassef’s musings can feel disjointed as she toggles between these various modes, but her singular voice and witty observations make up for it. This is a book for book people, challenging the perspective of the traditional American and European publishing worlds with verve and style. Agent: Caroline Dawnay, United Agents.

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shortDescription

The streets of Cairo make strange music: the echoing calls to prayer, the raging insults hurled between drivers, the steady crescendo of horns honking, the shouts of street vendors, the television sets and radios blaring from every sidewalk. Nadia Wassef knows this song by heart. In 2002, with her sister, Hind, and their friend, Nihal, she founded Diwan, a fiercely independent bookstore. They were three young women with no business degrees, no formal training, and nothing to lose. At the time, nothing like Diwan existed in Egypt. Culture was languishing under government mismanagement, and books were considered a luxury, not a necessity. Ten years later, Diwan had become a rousing success, with ten locations, 150 employees, and a fervent fan base. Frank, fresh, and very funny, Nadia Wassef's memoir tells the story of this journey. Its eclectic cast of characters features Diwan's impassioned regulars, like the demanding Dr. Medhat; Samir, the driver with CEO aspirations; meditative...

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Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller

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