Colored Water: Dixie Through Egyptian Eyes is a series of insightful, humorous and profound experiences of the author, then a bright-eyed, curious and intelligent Egyptian graduate student in chemistry, during the 1950s just prior to his departure from Alexandria, Egypt and after his arrival to Tallahassee, Florida for post-graduate studies.

The memoir offers uncommon and thought provoking cross-cultural observations on segregation, the "American Dream," race, identity, science, sexuality, love, academia, tradition, personal freedom, social status and class during the...