A powerful meditation on the influence of the British Empire in the Middle East, intertwining history, politics, poetry, myth and personal experience from poet and playwright Sabrina Mahfouz ´Impossible to put down while you´re reading, and impossible to forget about when you´ve finished´ Glamour After a gruelling job interview where she was interrogated about everything from her political leanings to her family background, Sabrina Mahfouz realised that one unspoken question had pervaded her entire life: as a woman of Middle Eastern heritage, could she really be trusted? Years later, Sabrina found herself confronting this question and how it was specifically informed by the British Empire´s historical dominance in the Middle East. Taking us on a journey of the Middle-Eastern coastlines and waterways that were so vital to the Empire´s hold, and combining memoir, history, politics, myth and poetry, These Bodies of Water is a tapestry of writing that tells the unacknowledged story of Britain´s relationship with the Middle East in the most revealing terms. ´A writer of staggering conviction, ingenuity and integrity´ Kae Tempest ´Brilliant and profound´ Nikesh Shukla ´A bold, brave look at the ways imperialism affects us all´ Riz Ahmed