Woman At Point Zero

So begins Firdaus's story, leading to her grimy Cairo prison cell, where she welcomes her death sentence as a relief from her pain and suffering. Born to a peasant family in the Egyptian countryside, Firdaus suffers a childhood of cruelty and neglect. Her passion for education is ignored by her family, and on leaving school she is forced to marry a much older man. Following her escapes from violent relationships, she meets Sharifa, who leads her into a life of prostitution, telling her that 'a man does not know a woman's value ... the higher you price yourself the more he will realize what you are really worth.' Desperate and alone, she takes drastic action. Saadawi's searing indictment of society's brutal treatment of women continues to resonate today.