The Names of Things: Life, Language, and Beginnings in the Egyptian Desert

Rating:
Summary: A Stunning Memoir and Portrait of a Country
Review: A truly gifted writer...I read passages over and over because the language was so well-crafted and beautiful. This is a wonderful memoir painted with impressionist strokes of a pen. One of the best travel books I've read in years.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting memoir, not too heavy
Review: I really enjoyed this book for it's interesting stories about one woman's life as she travels and studies through Egypt. She weaves word etymologies through the book, twining them with the things she sees in the landscape and people. Though there are some pretty depressing moments, her tone is always light and I found it to be a very quick read. The focus of the book is Susan and her life and how she came to study in Egypt. I would have liked more about language, because that is the what the title says it's about, but her travels are so interesting and the people she meets are described so well that the book is consistently enjoyable. I sincerely hope she writes another book, maybe about another place, since she alludes to other travels in her life.

Rating:
Summary: a rich, deeply lyrical narrative
Review: This book is for those who love the roots of language and for those who want to explore how languages & cultures shape each other. Essentially autobiographical - tracing the author's life from childhood in upstate New York to studying at Columbia University in Manhattan to travels through the Arabian peninsula - this book also manages to include elements of anthropology & etymology (the study of the origin & development of words) in a way that is very easy to read. It is a rich, deeply lyrical narrative; a true must-have for my own bookshelf.

If there is any drawback, I would say that the tone of the book - which is self-reflective, almost meditative in parts - may not appeal to all readers. Although there are scholarly pieces woven throughout the text, I would describe this as a personal (rather than academic) book.