Samia Serageldin was born in Egypt, educated in Europe, and emigrated to the United States in 1980. She is the author of an autobiographical novel, The Cairo House, tracing political developments in Egypt over the past three decades. She has also written papers on topics including Arab American writing and gender and Islam in Egypt. Since September 11 she has been active as a speaker in various public forums on Islam and on international events.This is her second novel.