Umm Kulthum: Star of the East is a picture book about the Arab world’s biggest diva and greatest singer. Nicknamed Al-Sit (The Lady), Kawkab al Sharq (The Star of the East), Al Haram al-Rabe’ (Egypt’s Fourth Pyramid), and, even, Umm al-Arab (Mother of the Arabs), Umm Kulthum was the daughter of an Egyptian village sheikh, who rose to prominence when few women dared to take the stage. For more than 50 years, she mesmerized the Arab world with her powerful voice and poetic songs that spoke of love, longing and Arab nationalism. Even today, decades after her death, her voice continues to fill coffee shops and living rooms across the Arab world.