Childhood is a magical time. Jean Naggar spent hers in Cairo and England in an enchanted world, protected by her large and loving family, unaware that the harsh reality of the Suez Canal crisis of 1956 would infiltrate life within her garden walls to change the lives of the Jews of Egypt forever. Sipping from the Nile brings to vibrant life the many rich facets of an opulent multicultural society in a post-colonial world. It is an unforgettable story of love and loss, a lyrical evocation of a time and place engulfed in the turbulence of politics, war and religion, illuminated with lush descriptions of food, clothes, customs, houses, landscapes, and the unique individuals that peopled a vast extended family. Expelled from their homes and their lives, Sephardic Jews from Arab lands have inserted a different immigrant experience into the American legend.