Men in Black Dresses: A Quest for the Future Among Wisdom-Makers of the Middle East [Paperback]

Yvonne L. Seng (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2003

If we pause long enough, we can hear, above the din of our planet's rapid globalization and technological advancement, the quiet voices of spiritual leaders from ancient faiths. Middle East historian Yvonne Seng asks, What can these modern Desert Fathers with their long history of survival advise us on the future of our planet? Her intellectual quest rapidly becomes a personal journey that turns her Western training and perceptions on their head.

Men In Black Dresses takes the reader behind the walls of desert monasteries, Sufi enclaves, ancient cathedrals and mosques -- where the author knocks, uninvited, and waits for the wise men to allow her in. Once inside, they discuss the universal concerns of the environment and the Internet, the building of a global community, and the education of coming generations, as well as the state of the human spirit.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cultural historian Yvonne Seng's first encounter with men in black dresses was on the Nile train as it chugged through Egypt. She was a young woman then, facing a divorce or suicide--she wasn’t sure which. And that's why the barren desert of Upper Egypt called to her. The dangerous pilgrimage through a harsh oasis would test her will to survive. As fate would have it, she met Nuweiba on the train--the esteemed Catholic Coptic Bishop of Asyout and Upper Egypt and the first of many holy men who would radically influence her destiny. As she spoke with this humble spiritual leader, he confessed that he was dying. "Promise me you will return one day," he asked Seng. "Then you will see the future." Seng agreed, but it took 15 years to deliver her promise. "Instead I tried to climb the greased ladder of academia and pretended to forget the promise." One night the dying man's request returned to her--forcing her to sit upright in bed and immediately plan her return pilgrimage. This time she would meet with the holy men of the Middle East and ask them to speak to the future. Her adventurous memoir takes us into the private chambers of a grand Muslim sheikh, into darkened churches, ancient monasteries, and modern apartments as she meets with the religious visionaries of the Middle East. The men in black dresses speak about global concerns--pornography on the Internet, disrespect toward elders and children, the disturbing spread of McDonald's culture, and the possibility of miracles. This is an outstanding armchair pilgrimage, filled with vivid "being there" scenes as well as lasting insight. Seng manages to unite vastly different religions, histories and cultures through their common spiritual ambitions. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

Seng, a historian specializing in the Middle East and Turkey, unabashedly admits that the research and writing of this memoir came from godly inspiration. Her sense of calling began more than 15 years ago with her chance meeting of a charismatic holy man on a train into Upper Egypt. This man in "a black dress" turned out to be the venerable Catholic Bishop of Asyout. Mysteriously, he extracted a promise from Seng, who was then a shattered young woman on a pilgrimage to Egypt's desert oasis. "Promise me you will return one day. Then you will see the future." She was puzzled by his request, but reluctantly agreed. Fifteen years later, she awoke in a cold sweat in her Washington, D.C., home and a vision came to her. She was being summoned to return to the Middle East to find that holy man as well as other "men in black dresses" so she could interview them and share their insights on the future. The result is a story about Seng's mishaps and adventures as she wheedles her way into encounters with the religious visionaries of the Middle East, including the Grand Sheikh of Islam, the Archbishop of St. Catherine's, the Coptic Bishop of Youth and numerous other spiritual celebrities. She portrays a world of holy men aching for peace, planetary stewardship and respect for elders and children. Although this is foremost a highly personal memoir, Seng is also an admirable diplomat for the divine, showing us the possibilities for spiritual globalization.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; Original edition (November 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074347726X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743477260
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,458,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly (and extremely) disappointing, February 11, 2004

By A Customer

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This review is from: Men in Black Dresses: A Quest for the Future Among Wisdom-Makers of the Middle East (Paperback)

I ordered this book, based on the glowing New York Times Book Review article and the reviews here. I'd expected to read an informative, insightful, and well-written book. That is not at all what I found.

First, the writing style. The breezy, casual style she slings about would be well-suited to a book about rock music or a character in an Evanovitch mystery, but hardly suited to a fairly serious topic by a supposedly credentialed scholar. It was a style out of sync with the subject material. -I wasn't necessarily looking to read a scholarly book, but I did expect this to be an intelligent book (which it wasn't.) I also found it difficult to like Dr. Seng, who comes across as a self-promoter, trying very hard to appear "cool".

Second, -the substance of this book. Everything is black and white -- no nuances, no complicated characters. All the religious leaders she meets are magical, wonderful demi-gods. The questions asked in her interviews with them were at a grade-school level -- totally uninformative. I found it difficult to believe a well-educated person could write such a superficial and one-dimensional account.

I managed to get through the book, through sheer stubbornness and the hope that it might improve at some point. (It never did.) One of those books where you're relieved to get it over with so that you can move on to something better. I'm in perplexed total disagreement with the positive reviews here.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Things Differently, February 16, 2004

By 

"daniellelaporte" (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Men in Black Dresses: A Quest for the Future Among Wisdom-Makers of the Middle East (Paperback)

"Men in Black Dresses: A Quest for the Future Among Wisdom Makers of the Middle East" I am reading a wonderful book. It's one of those gems that every time you pick it up, it instantly carries you into an exotic, space of anticipation. I find myself leaning forward emotionally, eager to see what I am going to learn - what I am going to see differently, with new clarity.

It's kind of interesting, because I forget about how great it is after we land or I fall asleep. I've been carrying it around in my bag now for a week now and each time I look at it - "Men in Black Dresses" - I remember the basic premise: author Yvonne Seng working her way through interviews with Egyptian Muslim sheihks leaders and discovering insights about Islam, and it sits there, kind of flat and academic.

But each time I get finally get settled into my Boeing seat, and before we reach 10,000 feet where I can get out my laptop, I open up the black dress book and within two sentences I'm in Egypt - in a bazaar, or somewhere contemplating some deep truth or paradox. . . . experiencing, through her extraordinary prose, Dr. Seng's odysseys and forays in search of truth and meaning.

This woman can really write. It's like a great novel - about real experiences, but focused on a search for truth. Most nonfiction books are not really "literature". They're not great stories, capturing you and moving you into sights, sounds, and smells of some other interesting place and introducing you to people you can really see in your mind. So, it's really rather extraordinary to find a book of big, great ideas that is also a really interesting story as well.

You should buy Yvonne's book. You'll learn a lot about Egypt, Islam, the Coptic Orthodox Church, Syria, yourself . . . and you'll like it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skip the title and get on with reading, February 10, 2008

By 

Jane M. Baker (Salem MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Men in Black Dresses: A Quest for the Future Among Wisdom-Makers of the Middle East (Paperback)

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the title seemed a little too marketing seductive. That aside, I liked the breezy Ozzie style and the vast store of information she had to share.