Peeling away the glamorous mask that hides the seedy side of the stripper's life, Egyptian Exotica: A Memoir of Dancing Naked, is the story of Egyptian-born Rania Zada, and her years as a professional stripper in San Francisco and New Orleans. Interspersed with Rania's memories of growing up in the Middle East, Exotica is unlike any other memoir about stripping, as it shows what the dancer's life is really like, exploring the emotional and physical toll that the life takes on the women who are part of it.

Rania Zada is a graduate of the UCLA Creative Writing Program.