Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

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Sharp, insightful and full of complex history and connections, Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know weaves a tapestry between today and the past, creating a story unlike any we’ve seen in modern YA fiction and cementing Samira Ahmed’s place as a must-read author.” This woman who had been talked about never got the opportunity to speak for herself. Her name was Leila and her story matters. In learning about Leila, Khayyam’s initial goal to rewrite her essay and prove her case grows distant. She’s no longer focused on her future, but resurrecting Leila’s past is imperative. Paul Douglass (1999). "The madness of writing: Lady Caroline Lamb's Byronic identity". Pacific Coast Philology. Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association. 34 (1): 53–71. doi: 10.2307/1316621. JSTOR 1316621.

In her early adult years, Lady Caroline not only wrote prose and poetry, but also took to sketching portraiture. Those courtly skills stood her in good stead. She spoke French and Italian fluently, was skilled at Greek and Latin and also enjoyed music and drama. An amateur art historian uncovers the story of a mysterious woman who inspired some of the great works of Alexandre Dumas, Lord Byron, and Eugène Delacroix in this delightful romp through the City of Lights.

Another thing that I found really annoying about this book is that, despite it trying to make a point about the fact that women have the power to make their own stories, a lot of the plot in this book revolves around Khayyam's relationships. I just thought that was an interesting choice to make?? Also I didn't really care for either boy in this case and I was a lot more interested in the mystery aspect, so all of the romantic bits of this kind of dragged for me. Around the time of a potential selection event, the climate in the Southeast Asia underwent a number of dramatic fluctuations, largely altering the vegetation [ 74– 77]. Coinciding with intermittent land bridge formations, a band of drier more seasonally adapted woodland ran from north of the Malay Peninsula down as far as Java replacing the more tropical forests [ 76]. This habitat alteration may have benefitted some animals in allowing an easier migration south through the more savannah-like landscape, but for others it acted as a species isolation barrier [ 78, 79]. For Nycticebus this change in habitat to a more open savannah-like environment and a different array of predators may have provided the initial selection impetus towards mimicry. Deufel A, Cundall D: Functional plasticity of the venom delivery system in snakes with a focus on the poststrike prey release behaviour. Zool Anz 2006, 245(3–4):249–267. Slow lorises are fauni-frugivores that consume a wide variety of animal prey and plant materials, including those that contain considerable amounts of secondary metabolites [ 25, 26]. They easily overcome relatively large prey including birds, bats, lizards and tarsiers; venom could be useful in subduing these animals. Many animals use de novo or acquired toxins to subdue prey, broadly classed in two types: excitatory and depressant [ 27]. Excitatory toxins induce sustained contraction paralysis, whereas depressant toxins induce a slow and flaccid paralysis. Short-tailed shrews use depressant toxins to immobilise prey, which they cache for later consumption [ 28]. Excitatory toxins are useful for predators that may need to release their prey, and should be less likely in an arboreal environment where immobilised prey may fall to the forest floor [ 29]. Dumbacher JP, Menon GK, Daly JW: Skin as a toxin storage organ in the endemic New Guinean genus Pitohui . Auk 2009, 126(3):520–530. 10.1525/auk.2009.08230

An ambitious project . . . a pastry-rich and knowledgeable portrait of Paris, with details that redolently evoke but never overwhelm, and Khayyam is an interesting and cosmopolitan protagonist (she’s French, American, and Muslim and comments thoughtfully on the contradictions and intersections of those cultures) with an unusual vocation. Altogether, it’s a Parisian romance with a seasoning of intrigue, a dollop of feminism, a soupçon of caper action, and a lashing of scholarship.” There’s something for everyone: Romance, nerdy art history, a summer in Paris, and a slowly unraveling mystery . . . it’s a unique and inspiring story that manages to pull off something incredible.”Ahmed’s brilliant novel shows that the familiar journey of being smart, in love, and a little lost is as profound now as it was in the 19th century. Add in a romance in the hidden gardens of Paris and an explosive trove of lost historical letters from a womanalmost forgottenand you’ve got a fresh,thoughtful joyride that you’ll want to read with everywoman and girlyou know.” Barrymore took years dying, stalling his exit,” Flynn writes. When he finally did pass away in 1942, Flynn claims that director Raoul Walsh bribed the undertaker to let him take Barrymore’s body on a little trip, to Flynn’s favorite chair at Mulholland House. “As I opened the door I pressed the button,” Flynn recalls. “The lights went on and my God—I stared into the face of Barrymore! His eyes were closed. He looked puffed, white, bloodless…. I let out a delirious scream.” Flynnanigans

I really liked Khayyam. She's an aspiring art historian with a very strong sense of determination, trying to fix the first mishap in her (hopeful) career. Khayyam is very admirable; she has a very strong sense of individuality and morals and I loved that. Alexandre also had me hooked, despite the unbelievability of it all, and I actually really liked their relationship and whole dynamic! Like, I'm not usually into romance, but I was really liking Khayyam and Alexandre together. Mukherjee AB, Zhang Z, Chilton BS: Uteroglobin: a steroid-inducible immunomodulatory protein that founded the Secretoglobin superfamily. Endocr Rev 2007, 28(7):707–725. 10.1210/er.2007-0018 Schlesinger, Derrin (11–24 February 1987). "Albums" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol.9, no.3. p.63. ISSN 0260-3004 . Retrieved 20 November 2023– via World Radio History. He's definitely an alpha male, no question. Needs to be in charge, but can defer to someone else for a while if need be.

In this her most ambitious novel to date, Ahmed makes art history accessible and uses this opportunity to discuss orientalism and Western narratives about Islam and ‘the East’ that have been presented in art and literature . . . But she never lets the serious subject matter get in the way of the fun and adventure, especially when breaking into old, abandoned Parisian buildings.” Byron responded to the novel; "I read Glenarvon too by Caro Lamb….God damn!" The book was a financial success that sold out several editions but was dismissed by critics as pulp fiction. However, Goethe deemed it worthy of serious literary consideration. [20] OMG! Isn’t it enchanting idea to read a book about two powerful women from different time lines who want to raise their voices and tell their stories! One of them is in Paris, searching for the deepest secrets hid behind a remarkable drawing with a charming French guy carries his descendant Alexandre Dumas’ name! And the other woman is a haseki, leaving behind the walls of Ottoman Harem, telling her secret love triangle story which resulted tragically! In fact, the author's note at the end of this book is really impactful. In it, Ahmed writes something very powerful: "When we say history is written by the victors, we mean history is written by the patriarchy." And it's true, history is written largely by men, and Western-centric history is dominated by the views and recollections of white men, neglecting the vital and fascinating stories of women and BIPOC who existed at the time. "History doesn't need to be an exclusionary tale. Our lives and worlds are richer for the diversity inclusion brings. The present always holds the power to write history."