The Girl from Cairo - A Memoir

In this memoir (from 1943 to 1963), I bring together culture, history, identity, trauma, humor and resilience with the eyes of a painter and the voice of a woman who has lived several lifetimes. The story begins in Cairo at a time that many people know little about. It was a cosmopolitan world of mixed ethnicities that shaped my life growing up there. I describe scenes from my childhood during WWII and beyond through two other Middle Eastern wars. I describe the roguish charm of my father who loved life too boldly, and a glamorous mother who feared gossip. The transition from Cairo to the wider world - Canada then the U.S. - adds yet another dimension to my memoir. I had fascination with American GIs as a toddler, my education in a Catholic Girls' School and my dreams of becoming a film star or fashion designer, together with the unfolding of my first love, create a coming of age journey. I grew up surrounded by books, art, culture and languages.  The political upheaval surrounding the Suez Canal forced e to leave Egypt and I quickly assimilated in these societies by becoming an artist in Montreal and then fashion designer in Manhattan.  One of my dreams did actually come true - becoming a fashion designer with the house that created Jackie Kennedy's wedding dress. I was the only designer in that outfit. By writing this book I try to immerse the reader in that era of fun and intrigue which was the Middle East at that time.