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Summary: what's the rest of the story?
Review: I would have like to have seen more photos in the book...of anything to give more of a cultural feeling of Morrocco having never been there. I also thought the writing was a little cut and dried and many interesting facts were left out which could have made the writing richer and then at the end ...it just ended. I feel like I read half a book.
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Summary: Sympathy for the unsympathetic?
Review: Michele Fitoussi presents Malika Oufkir's story faithfully enough. As it is told by Malika Oufkir, it is memoir, not history, and it would be unfair to expect Fitoussi or Oufkir to attempt to be objective about General Oufkir's role in Moroccan history. Those seeking historical background should have known better. The most interesting part about the book is what is revealed about Malika Oufkir between the lines. In the details she chooses to provide, in the events she chooses to analyze, in everything she chooses to omit, she provides insight into her character. She is eager to present herself as the young hellion turned mother-figure, bravely carrying her family through years of hell. She may well have, but we have here only her word for it. I eagerly await Maria's or Soukhaina's tome. Am I sympathetic to Malika? She refers blithely to the lot of slaves and servants during her palace years, conveying the impression that to this day she doesn't regard their lot as particularly horrifying. Her brief references to politics and her comments on the inactivity of her friends while she was in captivity are either delightfully naive or dreadfully cynical; after all, during her description of her life in the palace, she herself refers to those sent to internal exile - and I don't recall a single instance of her trying to free them, smuggle them food, or otherwise reach them with messages of support. In the end, she comes across as half world-weary survivor, and half petulant, spoiled ex-princess. That's an interesting combination and this slowly emerging picture is alone worth the price of admission. In the end, it's hard to sympathize with Malika. Her family did suffer. The plight of Abdellatif in particular is heart-rending. But I never got the impression that Malika felt particularly bad about anything that happened outside of her family. I am left with a sense of her relative indifference to the two friends who chose to accompany the family into confinement. She didn't seem particularly concerned about those who preceded her into internal exile, and she is unabashedly and callously unconcerned about the danger into which she brought her friends during the brief escape. This would be merely interesting, except that the entire book is a clear call for sympathy - and on on that account, it left me feeling a tad...indifferent.
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Summary: The Realities of a Desert Jail
Review: Malika Oufkir writes about her life as a princess and a prisoner. She by no means intends this story to be historical. I suppose it is more like a catharsis for what she and her family endured. It is her horrific account of 20 years in captivity where the rule of one man dictates the life of an entire family for 20 years without concern. I am humbled by her courage.
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Summary: Strength
Review: What an amazing life Malika Oufkir has led! From her youth in the opulence of the castle to her imprisonment, Oufkir provides the sort of details that help create a vivid experience for the reader.
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Summary: Not exactly what I expected
Review: I bought this book based on the reviews and Ms. Oufkir's discussion on the Oprah Winfrey Show. I don't feel that it is necessary to discuss what this book is about but it left me with wanting more and a with more than a few questions on my mind. I sympathize with the family and understand how difficult it must have been to live under the rough conditions after living such a life of luxury. However, I finished this book in anticipation of a discussion of why General Oufkir felt the need for a coup. I kept reading only to understand - What were the differences between father and son such that General Oufkir protected the father and attempted to oust the son? Perhaps I was a spoiled by the historical themes intertwined with the main story in the Poisonwood Bible but I expected more on the political climate. I believe it would have helped the reader understand why the family was subjected to the torture that they endured for such an extended period. It would also give the outside world an idea of the cultural and political differences between the US and Morocco. It was a decent book but I probably would have felt better borrowing it from the library or a friend - free.
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Summary: Too narrowly focused
Review: I need not repeat the details of the story line here--but a good editor could have turned this unbelievable story into a great book. What is missing is an introduction that explains the context for this incredible story--what was going on in Morocco at the time? why did the coup attempt occur? what were the issues with the monarchy? The actions of the King are inexcusable, but why did he do what he did? I'd love to know.
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Summary: Jailed Morrocan children....Imprisonment...Dramatic Escape!
Review: This is a story of unbelievable punishment administered by the powerful King and Queen of Morocco against a young family (including children) written by courageous escapee, Malika Oufkir. The book highlights the tragedies that can occur when an outmoded, archaic, leadership structure rejects modern principles like fair trials, justice, or morality. In the beginning of the book, the lonely Princess Lalla Mina needs a companion, so the King plucks the author from her family, and presents her as a "gift" to the Royal Princess. The author then describes her pampered lifestyle of decadence and excess while living in the Royal Palaces of Morocco. Through the author's eyes, we explore the world of a Royal girl, where the Princess values horses more than people. We are taken to see harems, where Queens and concubines bathe naked for the King. The girls were educated by a private German tutor, followed later by private French schools. This puzzled us: doesn't Morocco have a school system? After the author's father, General Oufkir, fails in plotting a coup d'etat, the Oufkir family become outcasts and prisoners of the state. For twenty years, the prisoners are cooped up in desert jail cells riddled with diseased rat packs, slithering snakes, venomous spiders, and hungry scorpions. The book is simply written, without fanfare or extravagant language, but cuts to the true, often horrifying facts: Malika's innocent little brother was jailed at age three, then released at aged twenty-three. After the heroic family escapes by digging an underground tunnel, Royal Princess Lalla Mina and Prince Sidi Mohammed try to befriend Malika Oufkir, in a "just like 'ole times" fashion. This made us wonder: If the Royals were such good buddies, why didn't they rescue Malika Oufkir from jail when she needed their friendship the most? These Royals certainly had the power and influence to have had them released from prison...AT ONCE! As soon as Ms. Oufkir succeeds in her dramatic escape, she hires a French attorney to defend her human rights. That was a smart thing to do but, this made us wonder: are there no Moroccan lawyers that can be trusted? At this point, Malika forsakes her Muslim religion and thinks about becoming a Catholic. We felt completely heartbroken after finishing this tragic story. The outmoded Royal Family who represent the important nation of Morocco, have surely disgraced their country and it's people.
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Summary: AN AMAZING WOMAN ENDURES
Review: As an author with my debut novel in its initial release, my first thought upon reading STOLEN LIVES was how no one would read this book if it was fiction. It is not fiction. It is fact, every horrifying detail. Malika Oufkir was adopted by a king and raised as a princess. Yet, due to political turmoil in her native Morocco, this general's daughter (and the rest of her surviving family) find themselves imprisoned in a series of desert jails. From the palace to the prison, through no fault of her own, is the path of Ms. Oufkir's life. She tells this tale without pulling any punches and the reader finds herself experiencing what this unfortunate woman (and her family)was forced to endure. And endure she does. Not only does she endure, but she finds the strength to write this magnificent heartfelt book. Read STOLEN LIVES. You will feel its impact.
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Summary: THE GREAT ESCAPE...TWO
Review: One reader has given this book one star; that is much too extreme. Poor writing is also a comment; I would say it is good, but certainly not great. I believe emotion got in the way of some of the mechanics of writing yet this is a fine story that does get confusing at times. The royal treatment in the beginning juxtaposed with the status of a criminal the rest of the way through the story gives a riches to rags flavor. There is tragedy and raw survival and during the escape section, real excitement that everyone should find well worth reading. One also better understands the social and family relationships of the middle eastern society as related in Stolen Lives which is very different from the West.
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Summary: Unbelievable!!
Review: This book is outstanding. I was unable to put it down. The only bad thing I have to say about it is that I did not get much sleep while reading it because I had to stay up til 2-3:00 every morning reading it as I could not stop. The story is shocking and fascinating.
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