In the Shadow of Men

Born in Jerusalem in the early 1970s and growing up there, the main character in this gripping novel felt all along that something was unsettling that came with being a female living in a society dominated by a patriarchal social order. But, it would take a broken marriage that ended in a bitter divorce experience for her to examine anew her early life experiences and understand them as outcomes largely shaped by male dominance, hence the excellent choice of title. Surely, male dominance is not projected as completely defining or foreclosing choices available to women. If it did, the main character would not have considered divorce, much less acted on it, as she eventually did. But, the patriarchy almost always shaped experiences and outcomes in ways that reflected the influence of the crippling power asymmetries women tended to be confronted with in male- dominated organizations and social structures.
Harhash provides a brilliant account of a wide variety of forms of injustice endured by women living in men's shadow. The breadth of her knowledge, as well as her deep intellect, render that account at once striking and unsurprising. She does this very well, often seeking explanations deeply rooted in philosophical discourse on human behavior and the evolution of human thought throughout history. Nor did she fail to highlight, even if only in passing, the variety of ways in which living under an oppressive colonial occupation magnified the ill effects of the power asymmetries associated with the workings of the patriarchal social order.