I didn’t see the importance of some of her details from her school days and felt she should have spent more time discussing her family or future relationships. My one complaint is that in a novel of only 114 pages, there were times that I felt the progression of the story stalled too long and got lost in unnecessary details in the beginning. It makes me feel that much more connected to the story knowing that the details I am reading are pulled from someone’s life. The most interesting part for me is the fact that it is based on El Saadawi’s actual experience with a convicted criminal in a women’s prison in Egypt. I think it’s really important to begin this book by reading the Author’s Preface to get a good understanding of this stories background. Her second life begins when she leaves her Uncle’s house to save herself from an arranged marriage and yet returns realizing she is not prepared to handle life on her own. Through all this, Firdaus has lived two different lives in this book, the first as a girl growing up with her parents and then being raised by her Uncle after their death. From living with an abusive, selfish father during her to her last days in prison, El Saadawi paints such a vivid picture of Fridaus’ life from beginning to end. Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi is a sad story about a young woman, Firdaus, who survives a tumultuous childhood, an arranged marriage, and struggles to make her own way in life. “I sometimes wonder if a person can be born twice” ….a wonderful quote from page 19 that I think summarizes the main character’s life throughout the book.

Woman at point zero firdaus