Bread and Henna : Journey Books : 9781784779757 : 178477975X : 07 Apr 2023 : An engaging and authentic travel narrative, Bread and Henna relates social anthropologist Ianthe Maclagan's experiences of eighteen months living among the women of a small mountain town in Yemen during the early 1980s. After a gruelling road journey, she is initially taken in by a family who provide support and hospitality - but charge extortionate rent. Maclagan then sets up on her own, struggling with isolation and practicalities such as getting water and cooking. One day, female neighbours establish contact by offering cuttings for her rooftop garden. Then, by throwing pebbles from their roof down Maclagan's stairwell, they invite her to run errands for them. Gradually Maclagan is drawn into the life of the town and, in turn, takes it into herself. The women she gets to know have hard lives and limited choices, but prove friendly, warm, welcoming and curious. After initially attending community feasts as a