Fresh Picks for Your Reading List
Explore books by AUC alumni and faculty! AUC Press offers a range of
titles in digital and print: aucpress.com/books
Children’s Picture Books and Contemporary Egyptian Society
Yasmine Motawy ’01, ’03
The book examines Egypt’s social and political history post-2000 through children’s picture books. Motawy, who teaches rhetoric and composition at AUC, argues that major sociopolitical changes in Egyptian society, including gated communities, international schools and television dramas, influenced the writing of children’s books during an era of Egyptian neoliberalism. She investigates three clusters of picture books. The first cluster comprises books that socialize children into both domestic and increasingly globalized public spaces. Books in the second cluster reframe cultural views of femininity through retellings of folktales, and third-cluster books address children’s self-assessment of both their environmental impact and autonomy.
The Taste of Egypt: Home Cooking from the Middle East
Dyna Eldaief
The Taste of Egypt is a mouthwateringly fresh addition to the collection of any home cook, offering recipes for silky cumin-infused lentil soups, spiced meat balls, sweet delights and more. The cookbook was a national winner for Best Mediterranean Cuisine Book and Best Arab Cuisine Book at the 2025 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Edouard Cointreau, president of Gourmand’s award jury, praised the book as a “perfect introduction to the rich food culture of Egypt” and a “pleasure to read.” Contemporary and accessible, the cookbook brings the sophisticated and vibrant flavors of Egyptian and Middle Eastern cuisine to modern home kitchens.
Reconstruction as Violence in Assad’s Syria
Nasser Rabbat and Deen Sharp
Challenging the traditionally held dichotomy between the end of violence and the commencement of rebuilding in Syria, the book includes contributions by architects, urbanists, geographers and historians. It illustrates how reconstruction often extends conflict into urban and social dimensions, suggesting that the built environment becomes a battleground for more
violence. The book emphasizes the importance of recognizing the historical, economic, societal, legal and bureaucratic contexts that shape reconstruction efforts, calling for initiatives that advance equity, inclusivity and community participation as well as a new approach that promotes peace, resilience and social justice in post-conflict societies.
Edward Said: The Politics of an Oppositional Intellectual
Nubar Hovsepian
An intellectual biography of one of the most influential scholars of the 20th century, Edward Said, the book is written by a close friend and confidant. It dives into the evolution of Said’s political thought and his engagement with the Palestinian national movement. The 1967 Arab-Israeli war sparked Said’s political awakening, which is reflected in his subsequent writings, whose reverberations and aftershocks were felt around the world. The book traces the influence of French philosopher Michel Foucault on Said and the later development of Said’s unique perspective. Through Said’s seminal works, diaries and private letters, the book charts the evolution of his political thought and engagement with his peers.