Book: Cairo Unzipped by Mona Fuad
It’s the 1940’s and the desert sun is setting in Cairo. This is the scene of Layla’s story. A beautiful, young girl forced into prostitution at age 12 by her own mother, Layla dreams of freedom in Europe. While set more than 70 years ago, Layla’s dream is not far from that of those living in today’s modern-day, protest-laden Egypt.
Layla’s story is the focus of Mona Fuad’s fascinating new book, Cairo Unzipped. A friend of Layla’s and former Egyptian movie star, Fuad chronicles Layla’s meteoric rise during a revolutionary period of Egyptian history.
Due to the turmoil in Europe, Egypt became a melting pot of Europeans from nations, being put to the fire, by the Nazis. Layla, with no money and fewer options, would not only survive the life of a call girl during this tumultuous time, but also rise to become the mistress of the most powerful man in Egypt, King Farouk.
While focused primarily on Layla’s story of strength and overcoming adversity, Cairo Unzipped also shares a bit of Fuad’s life.
Very much the opposite of Layla’s troubled youth, Fuad, born in Alexandria, was a once crowned Miss Egypt and could be found in many Egyptian and American films, including The Ten Commandments.
Upon leaving show business and moving to America with her husband, Fuad founded the first acrylic nail salon in Dallas and helped define the landscape of the now over $35 billion nail industry.
In a powerful and interesting feature interview, Fuad’s book addresses: the drastic differences between Layla and Mona’s upbringings in Egyptian society; prostitution in Egypt — then and now; life during the Arabic Revolution; behind the royal curtain: a look at the life and luxury of King Farouk; and, the Egyptian-American Dream, Mona’s story of success in the U.S.
Mona Fuad was born in Alexandria, Egypt and, at age 16, won a national beauty contest and would go on to become a future Miss Egypt. Her career then turned to film as Mona appeared in both Egyptian and American films, including The Ten Commandments and The Spy. After moving to the U.S. with her husband, Mona, who speaks six languages, founded the first acrylic nail salon in Dallas and helped define the landscape of the now over $35 billion nail industry.
Mona and Layla, the focus of her new book Cairo Unzipped, have been lifelong friends, although their roads to success have been vastly different. They still remain friends, now in the U.S., today.
For more information, please visit www.cairounzipped.com.
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