Woman at Point Zero is a brief but powerful tale of female defiance. Nawal El Saadwai, an Egyptian psychiatrist, writer, and activist, fictionalized an actual encounter with a woman on death row. The protagonist Firdaus tells the story of how she became a successful prostitute who stabbed her pimp and no longer fears death. Misogyny and violence against women pervade every aspect of her life, from female genital mutilation to domestic violence to rape. It's a powerful story, a rallying cry against male dominance and social injustice. Note that although the sex scenes are not explicit, the story is graphic and the author tends to repeat passages for effect.

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