The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes

The greater freedom is to be who you actually are; to be able to live your life in the way you deem best, free from any sort of restriction to do that, or fear of repercussions for doing so.

Egyptian-born and London-raised, Alya Mooro grew up between two cultures and felt a pull from both. Where could she turn for advice and inspiration when it seemed there was nobody else like her? Today, Mooro is determined to explore and explode the myth that she must identify either as 'Western' or as one of almost 400 million other 'Arabs' across the Middle East.

Through countless interviews and meticulous research, as well as her own unique experience, Mooro gives voice to the Middle Eastern women who, like her, don't fit the mould. Women under pressure to conform to society's ideals of how a woman should look and behave, what she should want and be. Women who want to think and act and love freely, without feeling that every choice means 'picking a side'. Women who are two things at once and, consequently, neither.

Part memoir, part social exploration, this is a book for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider.

Alya Mooro was born in Cairo in 1989. She has written for publications including Grazia, Refinery29, the Washington Post and the Telegraph on everything from social commentary and fashion to lifestyle. She holds a BA in Sociology and Psychology from City University and a Masters in Journalism from Westminster.

Alya runs the cult blog alyamooro.com and has collaborated with brands including Nike, ASOS and Absolut. She has guested on numerous national radio stations including BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1Xtra, where she was invited to speak about topics including the need for increased diversity in the media.

She is a representative voice both for her generation and for multicultural women everywhere and was featured in a spread in the August 2017 issue of Harper's Bazaar Arabia, where she was selected as part of a new generation of 'globetrotting Arab women who embody [a] cosmopolitan legacy'.