“The Story of the Banned Book is highly researched investigative journalism at its best. . . . This is a fascinating study of the intricate dynamics of the intersectionality of the political, religious, social, and cultural life in modern Egypt.” —Arab Studies Quarterly

“[A] forensic literary investigation. . . . Like any good detective—and Shoair is an exceptional one—he presents the reader with a fluent intellectual thriller, a cross-over book that will interest scholars of Arabic literature and intellectual historians as much as it will delight the general reader for whom it is mostly addressed. . . . The Story of the Banned Book is not only a literary and intellectual achievement, but also a methodological triumph.” —Yoav Di-Capua, The Journal of North African Studies

"A thrilling thread on Naguib Mahfouz, literary rivalries, and Egyptian politics as they stood in the mid 20th century, pulled through the needle’s eye of the story of a single novel."— M. Lynx Qualey, ArabLit Quarterly

"It is rare that one book documenting the life of another book sheds so much light on the literature, politics, religious feuds, and even cinematic trends of a couple of generations"—Peter Theroux, Middle East Quarterly

“Diving deep into the various interpretations and defenses of Mahfouz's most famous novel . . . Shoair's investigation is a fascinating insight into the lack of literary freedom in Egypt at the time.” —Amelia Smith, Middle East Monitor

"Readers invested in the ongoing debates about book banning will find this to be a worthy resource."—Publishers Weekly

“The plot is more compelling than most literature I have read.” —Elliott Colla, Georgetown University

"[E]xcellent and thought-provoking"—David Tresilian, Al-Ahram Weekly

“The joy of this book is its evocation of time and place, and the way it seeks out what may be absent or forgotten from the stances of intellectuals. However Shoair does not recount gossip; rather, his concern is verifiable knowledge.” —al-Quds al-‘Arabi

"A study of literary censorship and of the fight between artistic expression and religious and political authority in Egypt from the 1950s through today."—BULAQ

“Outstanding” —al-Ahram

“Shoair digs into the passion of how this iconic novel was written”—Donia Kamal, author of Cigarette Number Seven

"Shoair’s meticulous, forensic account of the fierce controversies and confrontations provoked by the publication and censorship of Mahfouz’s notorious novel takes the reader on a page-turning journey through the labyrinth of postcolonial Egypt’s fraught and high-stakes cultural politics and offers nuanced critical insight into the author's work. A perfect marriage of literary and cultural history, and investigative journalism, and masterfully translated by Humphrey Davies, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding an entire era of modern Egyptian history and its place in contemporary global politics."—Samah Selim, Rutgers University