Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia - Hardcover

Sasson, Jean P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385403453 ISBN 13: 9780385403450

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1992

Synopsis

Sultana is a Saudi Arabian princess, a woman born to fabulous, uncountable wealth. She has four mansions on three continents, her own private jet, glittering jewels, designer dresses galore. But in reality she lives in a gilded cage. She has no freedom, no control over her own life, no value but as a bearer of sons. Hidden behind her black floor-length veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, her sons, and her country.Sultana is a member of the Saudi royal family, closely related to the king. For the sake of her daughters, she has decided to take the risk of speaking out about the life of women in her country, regardless of their rank. She must hide her identity for fear that the religious leaders in her country would call for her death to punish her honesty. Only a woman in her position could possibly hope to escape from being revealed and punished, despite her cloak and anonymity. Sultana tells of her own life, from her turbulent childhood to her arranged marriage--a happy one until her husband decided to displace her by taking a second wife--and of the lives of her sisters, her friends and her servants. Although they share affection, confidences and an easy camaraderie within the confines of the women's quarters, they also share a history of appalling oppression, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations; thirteen-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age, young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the women's room, a padded, windowless cell where women are confined with neither light nor conversation until death claims them.By speaking out, Sultana risks bringing the wrath of the Saudi establishment upon her head and the heads of her children. But by telling her story to Jean Sasson, Sultana has allowed us to see beyond the veils of this secret society, to the heart of a nation where sex, money, and power reign supreme.

About this title

About the Author

Jean Sasson grew up in a small town in America's deep south before moving to the Middle East in 1978 to work at a prestigious royal hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 1985, she met Princess Sultana, who inspired the widely acclaimed Princess Trilogy. Jean later worked as freelance writer in Lebanon and Kuwait, conducting interviews with Kuwaitis who survived the first Gulf war, as well as high ranking Kuwaiti officials before, during and after the War. Her affection for the Middle East has been the motivation for a number of her books and Jean has spent her career sharing the personal stories of many courageous women. Princess More Tears to Cry is Jean's 12th book and the fourth in the Princess series.

From AudioFile

Jean Sasson based this shocking exposŽ of current life for Saudi women on the life-long diaries of a princess of the Royal House of Al Sa'ud, known only as "Sultana." Detailing the cruel and almost unimaginable treatment of females, who are virtual prisoners in their own homes, this is also a passionate plea for sweeping changes to a centuries-old system of oppression. Valerie Bertinelli reads Sultana's story with a determined, steady expressiveness. Her tone is well-suited for Sultana at a younger age; however, it does not change as the character ages or when she reads the author's epilogue. Interludes of regional music are interspersed throughout the presentation. A.A.B. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0385403453
• ISBN 13: 9780385403450
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288