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Summary: STUNNING REVELATION OF ABUSE OF WOMEN IN SAUDI ARABIA
Review: Sultana's story is amazing, sad, and shocking. She paints a picture of living in incredible wealth and opulence, never having to work, always surrounded by servants, the table overflowing with expensive imported food. And yet, the conditions of her life are far worse than any working girl in America. Sultana is a princess of the royal house of Saud, yet her life -- and the life of all Saudi women -- is totally controlled by men. Saudi women are mere possessions of men, with no rights. In Saudi Arabia, women's births and deaths are not recorded. Their fathers and later their husbands can have them killed or locked up forever in dark and solitary confinement for behavior that is considered ordinary in most other cultures. As I read her story, it occurred to me that women in Saudi Arabia have the same position in their society as pets have in mine. Many people love their pets and lavish them with affection and good care. The same is true of Saudi men's behavior toward their wives and daughters, but, like our relationship with our pets, the men can really do what they want. If someone kills their pet, there is usually no consequence unless it was done in a cruel manner. But a woman who has been raped through no fault of her own (as happens in one of Sultana's stories) can be put to death for "lewd behavior" and the type of death does not even have to be humane. One of Sultana's friends was drowned in a swimming pool by her father, and another was confined to a "women's room" (no light or human contact) til her death. Sultana is spunkier than most, actually tricking her husband and escaping with her children to London when he tells her he is taking a second wife. Oh yes, let's don't forget that abuse! Men can have multiple wives, and girls can be married off, often to old men, as soon as their periods begin. Most have no chance for an education, nor can they reject the husband selected by their father. And of course, they must be constantly covered from head to foot with an ugly black garment. I found the descriptions of Saudi society most unappealing. We have here a people who do no work and retain for themselves obscene amounts of wealth, with which they do little but build huge palaces mostly decorated in poor taste. I wonder if Sultana could even survive as an American who might have to clean her own house, cook her own food, and work for a living. That would be a big change from having five palaces and three Lear Jets! The men usually don't bother to work either; they live off the oil money. For a story eerily similar to Princess where the heroine actually does flee her homeland and become a working American, I recommend Mirage by Soheir Khashoggi. It's fiction, but the situations are very much alike, with Mirage also featuring a wealthy Muslim woman oppressed by men, but finally making her escape. That book, like Princess, is a stunner. I know it's not politically correct to bring up the role of Islam in this abusive behavior, but religion is the justification for the Saudi treatment of women, and the verses form the Koran in the back of the book make it clear that Islam recommends harsh treatment of women in many circumstances. Certainly the Saudis carry it to extremes, but Islam is no friend of females. Neither is Christianity or Judaism, which are both male-centered, but I know of no nation that tops Saudi Arabia for abuse of women.
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Summary: Voice from within the Kingdom
Review: The book is a fascinating tale of a natural-born feminist who struggles with her family and culture, not her religion. Many of the stories that she tells will be shocking to Western readers, but they are all too familiar to people who know the Gulf well. Because it has a Western author's name on the cover, I was initially dubious whether the book truly represents the view of a Saudi princess. I thought perhaps this was a Western feminist author railing against Islam by pretending to tell the story of a Saudi princess. However, certain views expressed in the book could only come from a woman raised in the Saudi culture- -they would be incomprehensible or trivial to Western feminists, yet they express the core of the princess' character. Warning: once you open the cover, you will not be able to put it down.
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Summary: Amazing!
Review: The book is amazing.It is shocking as well as disturbing to read the book. Makes me ashamed being a muslim male. Some parts are so well described that they manage to make you queasy. If you are looking for anyting to do with oppression of women... this is definately your guidebook. In a word... Brilliant. Caution: Not for the faint hearted
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Summary: Interesting....but is it all true?
Review: This book claims to be the true story of a Saudi princess and her lifestyle. If it is true then it is a harrowing indictment of an inhuman attitude towards Saudi women. Particularly disturbing is the account given of the poor girl murdered by her father, in front of all her family, for bringing 'shame' on them. The lack of freedom these women have is, to western eyes at least, appalling and incomprehensible. Saudi women of royal birth appear to live in perfumed, pampering prisons.
However, if this is a true story then the husband or family of this woman would certainly recognise the stories and identify her with ease which made me wonder how much of it was fantasy or at least greatly exaggerated for the benefit of readers.
An interesting read but I felt more that I was reading a novel than a factual account.
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Summary: Fascinating read!
Review: This book is book one of the princess trilogy. This book gave a riveting account of a princess's life in Saudi Arabia. A lot of this book is sad and depressing but there are some hopeful moments. Personally, my favorite book of the trilogy is the second one - Princess Sultana's Daughters. But I would recommend reading this one first so you know the story and situation.
When I started reading this book I could not put it down. If you are fascinated with Saudi culture, women's rights or the lifestyle of the Saudi royal family, this is a great read.
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Summary: Heart wrenching!
Review: This book is totally spellbinding. From the moment I started reading the book until the last page read, I felt pain and sorrow not only for Sultana, who was born in raised in total opulence, but for all the women in her country. The treatment women get in her country is totally horrendous, and dehuminzing (too horrible to believe it's real), but sadly enough, it is. It is hard for me to fathom how men believe that women aren't humans at all. They're used for two things, and two things alone; appease the man's sexual desire, and bear "sons." For anybody who's interested in women's right and equal treatment, this book is a must read. Read it with an open heart, and weep along with Sultana in her journey through "existenceless." You'll be appalled at the fact that female births aren't recorded, and their deaths go unannounced. They're buried in the desert in unmarked graves. Mere girls are drowned in pools, stoned to death, put in isolation for the rest of their lives, flogged, shot. When will the atrocity end?
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Summary: A must read
Review: This book tells the story of an arab princess and life around her. The story tells us about a place where women are oppressed beyond imagination, they do not have any rights whatso ever, stories of honour killings and other ghastly human rights violations, that would make your blood boil. Definitely a must read.
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Summary: Amazing true-life story of life as a royal Saudi wife.
Review: This is one of my favorite books I've ever read. It's amazing to hear how sexist the Saudi regime is with their women in this day and age! The abuse that is allowed, with no repercussions because men are treated as kings and all women are seen as their property, is unbelievable. Many women are under the total control of the men in their family, and risk death or imprisonment if they try to flee. You really need to read it to believe that a whole society lives this way! You will have a new appreciation for your life and freedoms after you read these sad tales of women married off to abusive men twice their age who have other wives as well. They must stay veiled when outside and stay in separate rooms in the household for women when male visitors are over. That is why the book is called "Life Behind the Veil."
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Summary: Sobering
Review: This story although well written was hard to read at times because of the nightmarish ways that women and children are treated. It is appaling to think that women and children are not sheltered from abuse and used, abused and/or protected at the whim of the male of the house. Even though some of the events in this book took place years ago, I was shocked to hear that "punishments" such as stoning and placing wives and daughters in womens rooms existed. This book made me very sad for the women of Saudi Arabia because unfortunately having a male body part and testosterone does not define supremacy or superiority in my book.
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Summary: So sad but true.
Review: This story was so educational, but at the same time so good. The story behind the veil is one that I will never forget. I learned so much, as I fell in love with Sultana and her prickly ways. This is a MUST MUST MUST read..for any woman or man. The book has many truths, some that are harder to imagine then other.
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