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Dewey Decimal Number: 305.892407471092 Format: Kindle Book Label: HarperCollins e-books Manufacturer: HarperCollins e-books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: June 26, 2007 Publisher: HarperCollins e-books Release Date: June 26, 2007 Studio: HarperCollins e-books Editorial Review: Product Description: " In vivid and graceful prose, Lucette Lagnado re-creates the majesty and cosmopolitan glamour of Cairo in the years between World War II and Gamal Abdel Nasser's rise to power. Her father, Leon, was a boulevardier who conducted business on the elegant terrace of Shepheard's Hotel, and later, in the cozy, dark bar of the Nile Hilton, dressed in his signature white sharkskin suit. But with the fall of King Farouk and Nasser's nationalization of Egyptian industry, Leon and his family lose everything. As streets are renamed, neighborhoods of their fellow Jews disbanded, and the city purged of all foreign influence, the Lagnados, too, must make their escape. With all of their belongings packed into twenty-six suitcases, their jewels and gold coins hidden in sealed tins of marmalade, Leon and his family depart for any land that will take them. The poverty and hardships they encounter in their flight from Cairo to Paris to New York are strikingly juxta-posed against the beauty and comforts of the lives they left behind. An inversion of the American dream set against the stunning portraits of three world cities, Lucette Lagnado's memoir offers a grand and sweeping story of faith, tradition, tragedy, and triumph. " Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The Man in the Sharkskin SuitThis is a true story about a proud family patriarch, his relationships and most notably the one with his youngest daughter, who is the author of the book. This prominent Egyptian family is forced to leave their home when Jews were no longer able to live safely in Egypt. The story focuses on the difficult choice to abandon all that is familiar, for a journey into the unknown. The family lands in Paris, and eventually settles in New York. This is a family that had wealth and importance but becomes ... Read More Rating:  - Accurate PortrayalMy parents were actually Egyptian Jews living in Cairo and Alexandria in the 1950s and fled in the mid 50s due to Nasser's tyranny. My mother has been reading the book the past week and has goose bumps reading essentially the same story, addresses, schools, bakery, cafes etc. of her life. True, every family's story is slightly different, but the facts are essentially identical. My mother and her family lived this story and actually knew some of the people in the story. Well done to Lucette on shedding ... Read More Rating:  - Compelling but in the end disappointingThe first part of the book in Cairo, as others have mentioned before me, was intriguing for a reader like me who loves to read about people and places outside of my sphere of experience. And especially I seem to be drawn to Middle Eastern/African settings. The elegant Cairo of a long gone era was very interesting as were the family members. But the book went downhill in the second half. I kept hoping for a larger understanding from the author and a comprehension and conclusions drawn about her family ... Read More Rating: - WELL WRITTEN , POOR CONCLUSIONI found the book very interesting and the story well told. Her conclusion that that the bureaucrats who wavered about bringing her father over should be pleased that he was a good credit risk is totally wrong. Yes, he paid back the JEWISH relief agency for their passage, but sold ties under the counter, for cash so never had to report any income and pay any taxes to this country. His family had large medical expenses paid for by the welfare system of this country. None of his children served in the military of this ... Read More Rating: - beautifully writtenWhat a wonderful book. In may ways it is a book that anyone who's family has immigrated from another country can identify with and enjoy. She is a wonderful writer, you will find yourself laughing out loud at some passages and terribly sad at others, but it is worth reading. I enjoyed every page and have already passed it on to others who feel the same way. Don't pass this one up. |
