Rating:  Summary: It was emotionally stirring and tugged on the heart-strings. Review: I recently read the book "Princess" because my friend (who is Indian, but Hindu) recommended it to me. The wonderfully-written book is a true story about a Saudi Arabian princess, and the cruelties that Muslim Saudi women have to endure "behind the veil" so to speak. I haven't been so affected by a single book in quite some time. In fact, I finished the book in one day and immediately picked up the sequel, "Princess Sultana's Daughters." "Princess" is a book that should be read by all women around the world. Although prior to having read this book, I had some knowledge about the way that Muslim women were treated in Saudi Arabia, I had no idea of the extent of it. Sultana talks about all aspects of the Muslim way of life, as well as Saudi traditions. The combination of the two made for an extremely unnerving and shocking book. However shocking it may be though, I feel strongly that this is a wonderful book that you won't want to miss.
Rating:  Summary: A spot light on the corruption in Saudi Arabia. Review: To start with I read the Arabic translation of this book when I was in Cairo last week. It was translated by "Hisham Yahia" and published in Cairo (ISBN 977-5185-24-6) Jan 1996. Now I bought the original English version to compare. I am a pediatrician who worked in Saudi Arabia for 5 years and I witnessed a whole lot of corruption and injustice there, including discrimination against women, rape of young kids by their teachers in schools, and severe violation to human rights everywhere there. Although the Arabic translation is not well written, I can say that the book is a good panoramic image of the Saudi live. This culture has nothing to do with Islam. It is meant to protect the rotten government. I witnessed myself a tragedy of an Egyptian family whose young child was raped, and because the criminal was a VIP. The father of the child was humiliated and "lashed" in public, as a punishment because he dared to file a complaint. I personally recommend this book to the American reader, and I hope many other books about the miserable live in Saudi Arabia would be available. When you read this book please keep in mind that all this corruption and injustice do not belong to Islam the great religion that is victimized there. Perhaps USA would change its policy, and start seriously to pay attention to the human rights in this country.Friday, August 27, 1999
Rating:  Summary: Eye Opening-Life Changing Review: I have read all three of the Princess books by Jean Sasson and throughly recommend them to anyone who wants to have an insiders view on the introcities forced upon women in the Middle East. I doubt that anyone can read this book and not be moved. Many reviewers have taken points off because they are critical as to whether or not the author can maintain her identity. If you read the second and third books you will see that two days after this book was published the authors identity was discovered by her brother!
All in all I found this book to be very eye opening. Many Americans seem to have grown desensitized to the problems going on in other areas of the world. This book truly exposes the horrors that these women have had to endure and that have been hidden from the western world. It made me thankful to be an American and to be so blessed.
Rating:  Summary: A Saudi Princess Review: I gave this book five stars because it was very interesting.Jean
Sasson really did a good job in explaining what these women really have to go through on a daily basis.This book is about a young girl named Sultana who talks about a daily life while living as a saudi girl.she talks about how they are treated out there and what these crultey men believe how they schould treat a women.Sultana owns four mansions on three continents,her own private jet,glittering jewls and everything a women would want.But theres one thing that she has to go through eveyday.Her along with all other saudi women who live in that contry have to follow what ever men tell them to.They live in a country where women are ruled by men.All women who live there have to be covered in veils from top to bottom.They are not allowed to show any part of there body while they are in public.Women are treated with no respect and thought of as people who have to just be brought into the world to cook,clean and make more kids.Throughout this book Sultana talks about her life struggles and how it was when she was only 16 years old and told by her father that she was going to have to marry a man she didn't even know.I really recommend this book,it is really eye catching and opens your eyes to let you know what these poor women have to go through.Hopefully if many people pick up this book to read we can try to help these women live a better life.
Rating:  Summary: DEFINITIVAMENTE UN LIBRO QUE VALE LA PENA LEER Review: Esta historia, basada en un hecho real, no solamente es conmovedora en su propio estilo, sino que tambien nos pone a pensar y a valorar todas aquellas cosas, derechos y privilegios que tenemos y que muchas veces damos por sentados y no valoramos como debemos, mientras en otras partes del mundo, estas mismas cosas y derechos ni se conocen. Recomiendo este libro a cualquier persona, sin importar la edad, porque es sumamente facil de entender.
Rating:  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."
Rating:  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.
Rating:  Summary: This is incognito???? Review: While I don't doubt that many of the atrocities cited in the book have occured at some point or another (there are too many outside corroborating accounts of such doings)and the book tells a facinating though tragic story, I wonder how this princess could possible remain incognito after having given so many very specific descriptions of her family. I could change my name to Micky Mouse, but if I gave as detailed a picture as the "princess" has, my family would spot me a mile away. Or maybe the Royals don't read, listen to the radio, travel out of the country, converse with others outside their family... Oh wait a minute! They do! So, what gives? I have other thoughts about this book but most of them have already been written about here so I'll leave it at that.
Rating:  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.
Rating:  Summary: great book Review: Told in the first person voice of Princess "Sultana", this book will grab you from the beginning.
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