Princess

Outstanding and a profound reading !! This is the second book in a row that I read after Sasson's Growing Up Bin Laden.It is a work of non-fiction, hard and harsh reality.When I completed every chapter I was dumb stricken !! My mouth went dry and for many hours I have to close down the book and relieve myself from the shock that I have received.The book is divided into 20 chapters starting from the early childhood of Sultan, the princess of the Saudi Kingdom, the Royal family. Sasson points out in a magical manner the character of Sultana -- young and brash, she is a total exception of how women are in Saudi Arabia. In the beginning, Sasson points out how she met Sultana and there is a introductory letter received from the princess which describes that she has the intention to bring in a change in the land of sheer injustice, a land where it is a curse for a baby girl to be born.When I read the book, I thought why don't it can be made in a film. Sultana, the princess is totally different from the way a woman has been born and brought up in a Saudi family. Young and vibrant, from the inception of morality she always stood by the side of what is right. Her tragic fight with Ali, her brother from her young days for an apple, turned the entire family to think that this girl cannot be treated the way, traditionally women are handled,Introduction: Sasson clears the historical backdrop of King Abdul Aziz, the fight against the other tribes and resettling for the kingdom.There was a brief introduction of Sultana's childhood and of Sara, her sister, how they grew up and then the customs. The picture of the uncountable wealth of the Saudi Royal family has been described vividly where Sultana spend around INR 3 lac to purchase a necklace and furniture from Italy costing more than 30 to 40 lac has been purchased to decorate a mansion. Such examples are often found in the book.The ghastly custom of stoning to death in case of fornication for a women, the custom of divorcing a wife in case she is unable to give birth of a son, the custom of imprisoning a women in case she has an affair with a non-Muslim.......All these created a fury to the princess as she vehemently opposed against those inhuman acts. Sultana, a progressive woman, could never give up to such misdeeds. She punched and kicked her brother, she stood up against his father, whose word carried no alternative to the royal family and she even fought, slapped fiercely with her husband Kareem when she found that he was willing to take a second wife - a common custom to the Muslims.Sultana's first ever shock came when in a tour, she first found his brother Ali raping a 7 years old girl along with a friend and even for a double shock found that her father also boarded the same boat when he was in a tour.The fear of the 'mutawas' who ruled as the supreme authority also caught Ali in a misdeed when Sultana, taking a revenge, exposed his lustful habit of alcohol and watching pornography. Such was the character of Sultana, who sough revenge against his brother.Conditions for the women in Saudi was beyond comprehension, the way they were treated, a sex object, a machine to produce children, an outlet for all types of frustration and as a pleasure instrument to satisfy the male members of the family. Women are beheaded and stoned to death for 2 hours, without any court or any justice, just based on the verdict of the 'mutawas'. Girls are kept to fulfill the sexual desire of the head of the family as as their teenage sons. Fathers order the death of their daughter if they violate any rule, as put down in the Sharia law.Sara, her sister got divorced, as for the first time Sultana's mother stood against her husband for the violent act of sexuality caused by Sara's husband. The book enumerates numerous instances that would leave you in awe, keep you wondering about the agonizing infliction of pain and suffering which women in Saudi encounter -- beyond apprehension. I would leave on the readers to read the rest of the part.The final episode, turns to an act of bravery when Sultana escapes from the umbrella of manhood of Kareem (her husband), makes a wonderful travel plan with her son and 2 daughters. She was able to make a deal with Kareem after many months when she contacts him and finally returns to her family. When Saddam invaded, there was a faint glare of hope as Saudi women were found driving cars - the first hope for liberation. Sultana again desperately tries to contact the women for their progressive movement but found that they were reprimanded from all the frontiers of life and even execution.The book concludes, with a note of pessimism as Sultana, on the closing of a day, watches her husband Kareem going to pray at the mosque with her son Abdullah leaving her with 2 daughters gazing."I felt quiet the loneliest figure ever have to lived."Sasson's mastery lies in portraying the character of Sultana, violent and judgmental.The book will keep you wondering on the Saudi life. Sultana's character will also make you think and the obnoxious practices which again and again made her go furious and burn a fire of rebellion within her. A fire which cannot be extinguished, a rebellion which made her think in every possible way and a revolt which resurrected the tomb of the death of millions of women, in mind and conscience. She has been successful and failed in most of the part, but her spirit was indomitable. Just like Najwa, in Sasson's earlier book Growing Up Bin Laden, Sultana is a tempest which cannot be pacified.Great book !! A must read for all !!

Compelling reading. It is frightening to think of so much power of life or death or misery in the hands of a few, where one gender is exploited in this way. At the same time Princess Sultana's voice is sometimes irritatingly whining, a kind of like 'poor little rich girl'. Princess is right to think that education is the solution, where women can be aware of their rights, the first step in demanding it. Sultana's tricks on her brother Ali and the way she manages to make her husband listen to her was fun.

This is one of the best books ....I have ever gone through...The author has written a masterpiece in simple,lucid language...being a historical novel the author has also provided appendices which relates with the story....People having interest in women rights will find it fascinating and shocking too......I still keep on wondering if the life of an Arabic princess is so heart- wrenching then how would be the life of an average woman of the country.....Through this book author has come out with the naked truth of barbaric laws of Saudia which are wholly male centric..especially the puniahment for HUDUD crime is exorbiant and eye- opening....I was full of anger and tears after going through the subject matter of book....

A beautiful experience..😊

Jean sasson's writings have never failed to impress me. I loved the book throughout. The story is really inspiring. The struggle of a Saudi Arabian woman is really shocking and heartbreaking. No one will be able to keep their eye's off of the book.Along with this book I recommend to read daughters of Arabia and mayada too.Coming to the print and quality of the book. It is good . The packing was also good.

Good read

One of the best book to read. Very good paper quality and standard font size.. price is little bit higher.. overall happy..

The author very simply narrates a complicated story, bringing to life the characters of Princess 'Sultana' and her family. The book is also a total eye opener into the lives of the Al Sa'ud women, causing one to be disillusioned about one's perceptions of the lives of the Uber rich, and making them as human as anyone else.

I read this book originally in 2005 and couldn’t put it down. It’s absolutely captivating from cover to cover. I bought this one for a friend who is stuck in bed do to a broken leg. Am planning on purchasing another copy for myself as I lost my original copy. A small glimpse into life in another country so different then ours. And you can’t help but love this bold female character!

Libro molto sincero che mostra la realtà di una famiglia di radici musulmane e molto benestante dagli occhi di una delle figlie femmine, la più ribelleho apprezzato molto la sincerità della scrittrice nel descrivere svariate situazioni senza dover cadere nel tragico o nel pietoso ma solamente come possibilità di mostrare a chi vive fuori dal mondo radicale musulmano quanto puo costare la libertà.

Dieses Buch war bei mir in kürzester Zeit gelesen. Es ist toll geschrieben, man fühlt das gesamte Buch mit der Hauptfigur, man lacht und weint mit ihr.

A little hard to read. I have stopped in the middle. Will start again.

This is a MUST read - enlightening, enjoyable and well-written.This book was chosen for me through one of the members of my book club...Normally, I wouldn't have chosen this book - with so many GREAT books out there, and so little time to read, I feel I have to choose wisely... Thankfully, someone chose wisely for me because "Princess" was fantastic!I calculated that in real time, Sultana is about 13 years older than me - therefore, many of the recurring themes - especially those of the extreme oppression of women in Saudi Arabia - almost seemed unreal to me. I had to keep reminding myself that while we live one way here in America, while practicing Christianity, at the same time, they lived quite the opposite, in Saudi Arabia, as Muslims.I wish I had the knowledge presented to me in this book back in the early '90's. I was in college then and would spend some of my evenings and/or weekends helping an Arabic family here in our community. I would watch her 3 boys on occasion and stay in her home when she and her husband would travel to London or Jordan. Speaking with the wife on many occasions and hearing conversations between her and her husband, I had many unanswered/open questions that lingered in my thoughts for years. It was like reading Sultana's story brought closure to those thoughts and educated me enough to fill in those long-ago blanks that filled my mind.Sultana's feisty, powerful yet loving demeanor made for the perfect narrator. The light she shed and depicted as Kareem, allowed me to see him as a loving man, husband and father - a man wanting to be more than he saw in his past generations of men before him, even though he too faltered along the way, caving to the mis-interpretations of the Koran and resorting back to the failing attitudes of his past leaders.My favorite quote is definitely toward the end of the book - "A great imbalance is created in the world when women are treated as liabilities, as they are in many counties"... and also, "Our goal remains that all women of the world might live in dignity and in peace."... As an educated and passionate mother of two teenage girls, these two are my wishes.Thank you Princess Sultana and Jean Sasson for this deep, eye-opening, lovely and exciting story. I can't wait to pass it on to my teens.