# The Man In The White Sharkskin Suit



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Lucette Lagdano's father, Leon is a successful Egyptian businessman who has to flee Cairo after the rise of the Nasser dictatorship.

Leon doesn't want to leave Cairo but his hand is forced when his daughter is arrested on the trumped up charge of prostitution... the book tells the life of this Jewish family when there was a huge Jewish population in Egypt and the way they suddenly became "foreigners" in their land once the revolution had taken place.
The story is not really about religious intolerance as in Old Cairo that was not the case until the king was sent into exile.
The story follows the family converting all their money into clothes as they could take very little out of Egypt other than clothes, their year in Paris before heading to New York. The family have their own revolution.. the good Egyptian children find the west and all its freedom something that they must have.

A good read showing from one families point of view the Cairo we know from the old black and white films.


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> Lucette Lagdano's father, Leon is a successful Egyptian businessman who has to flee Cairo after the rise of the Nasser dictatorship.
> 
> Leon doesn't want to leave Cairo but his hand is forced when his daughter is arrested on the trumped up charge of prostitution... the book tells the life of this Jewish family when there was a huge Jewish population in Egypt and the way they suddenly became "foreigners" in their land once the revolution had taken place.
> The story is not really about religious intolerance as in Old Cairo that was not the case until the king was sent into exile.
> ...


Having not read the book it's hard to comment, but doesn't that just confirm that stereotypical view of the "Western world" being the land all Egyptians want to escape too as everyone are millionaires and life is easy??

I'm sure the story is very interesting, but if it's been published in Arabic I can see a few more unethical westerner marriages taking place in pursuit of "the dream".


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Sam said:


> Having not read the book it's hard to comment, but doesn't that just confirm that stereotypical view of the "Western world" being the land all Egyptians want to escape too as everyone are millionaires and life is easy??
> 
> I'm sure the story is very interesting, but if it's been published in Arabic I can see a few more unethical westerner marriages taking place in pursuit of "the dream".




No the authors family did not want to leave Egypt they were forced into it through Nassers dictatorship.. they did not have an easy life in the west.
I liked the book as it showed a more gentle easier side to the Cairo that I know,


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## Sam (Aug 27, 2009)

> The family have their own revolution.. the good Egyptian children find the west and all its freedom something that they must have.


In that case I have misinterpreted this part...

I'll have to give it a go and then come back to comment after


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

The story is considered one of Egypt's classics for some Egyptians actually, and it keeps happening, it didn't just happen in the 1950's then stopped, the idea of back stabbing and attacking people's reputations just to get rid of them, or the thought of "This is for the best interest of the "people" of the country" is very common in the Egyptian "culture".

But as you could see, Adolf Hitler wasn't the only one against Jews, but at least he was the only one being honest about his opinion...... And "honesty"! That's something MANY people need to learn in this "country"!


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