An ambitious analysis of the implications of globalism and cultural conflict on the battlefield of women's bodies . . . Casual readers shouldn't be dissuaded--Jacobson's prose is accessible, and he has treated the complicated underpinnings of identity, cultural belonging, and economic motivations with respect.
-- "Publishers Weekly"What Jacobson does beautifully in his accessibly academic book is differentiate between politicized Islamist patriarchy and 'the broader Muslim community, ' the former being 'a core expression of a deeper global fissure, ' he explains . . . As globalization improves the status of many women, it also incites a ferocious backlash against them.
--Tracy Clark-Flory "Salon"The breadth of engagement in terms of issues, space, time, geography, and history it traverses is the book's strength... With an accessible prose peppered with rich imagery, it has something to offer to every reader...
--Shweta Majumdaradur "Gender and Society"Of Virgins and Martyrs cleverly written with exciting prose, would be appropriate in small doses for advanced undergraduates and in full for scholars and graduate students. Jacobson must be applauded for striking a balance between breadth and depth; the book takes readers across time and place in fairly effortless fashion, while providing specifics about various cultures, such as Cuba, the Netherlands, or Pakistan.
--Candice D. Ortbals "Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review"