The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World

LucetteLagnado'sfather,Leon,isasuccessfulEgyptianbusinessmanandboulevardierwho,dressedinhissignaturewhitesharkskinsuit,makesdealsandtradesatShepherd'sHotelandatthedarkbaroftheNileHilton.AfterthefallofKingFaroukandtheriseoftheNasserdictatorship,Leonloseseverythingandhisfamilyisforcedtoflee,abandoningalifeoncemarkedbybeautyandluxurytoplungeintohardshipandpoverty,astheytakeflightforanycountrythatwouldhavethem.Avivid,heartbreaking,andpowerfulinversionoftheAmericandream,LucetteLagnado'sunforgettablememoirisasweepingstoryoffamily,faith,tradition,tragedy,andtriumphsetagainstthestunningbackdropofCairo,Paris,andNewYork.WinneroftheSamiRohrPrizeforJewishLiteratureandhailedbytheNewYorkTimesBookReviewasa"brilliant,crushingbook"andtheNewYorkerasamemoirofruin"toldwithoutmelodramabyitsyoungestsurvivor,"TheManintheWhiteSharkskinSuitrecountstheexileoftheauthor'sJewishEgyptianfamilyfromCairoin1963andherfather'sheroicandtragicstruggletosurvivehis"richestorags"trajectory.