Rating: 
Summary: A Brave and Honest Book
Review: Malika speaks to the world in this heart-wrenching account of her life. Her story is one of courage and the ability of the human heart to triumph over the worst of situations. Malika endured terrible hardships and lived in unspeakable conditions. Yet she survived and her story is one to be heard.
Rating:
Summary: You will never complain again!
Review: Wow! If you were feeling sorry for yourself before you started this book, your life is probably looking charmed by the time you finish it.
This is the story of a young Morrocan girl taken from her family at the age of 5 to be the companion of the princess. Raised lovingly by the King and sheltered by the luxuries of the royal palace, she still longed for her own family.
Reunited with them at the age of seventeen, she enjoyed two years of happiness before her life would change forever. Her real father, a high ranking military official is killed after a failed attempt to assasinate the King. Malika, along with her mother and younger siblings, is immediately imprisoned. Living conditions quickly deteriorate, as does the family's health.
The horror that the Oufkir family endured for 20 years is beyond belief.
Imagine eating nothing but moldy carrots & chickpeas, and making a rare treat of "french toast" with rotten eggs and moldy bread.
Imagine sleeping on a filthy cot with the corpses of rotting mice inside your mattress.
Imagine helplessly watching as your mother and siblings physically deteriorate to within inches of their lives. There you have just a sample of what this incrediby courageous family experienced. In their struggle to survive, they emerge with such an appreciation of the simple things in life.
You will seriously reevaluate your priorities after reading their story.
Their daring escape will leave you holding your breath with anxiety and worry for their safety.
Trapped between loyalty for her real father, and remembering her affection for the King who imprisoned her, Malika's spirit and determination will amaze you. My only criticism of the book is that I wish it ended less abruptly. After dreaming of freedom for so long, I would have liked to hear more about the family's experiences when they were released.
A thrilling and emotional page-turner, made all the more compelling because it is a true story!
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating story of survival
Review: When Oprah first choose this book for her book club I didn't think I would like this but after hearing so many raves and taking a closer look at the description I decided to read this. I am still in awe of how this family survived this terrible ordeal and I couldn't put this book down until I found out what would happen next. This book is about the family of General Oufkir in Morocco and is being told by his eldest daughter Malika. Malika was raised in the palace and adopted by King Mohammed as a playmate for Princess Lalla Mina. King Mohammed died suddenly and his son King Hasan became Malika's adopted father. She left the palace to return to her family when she was 17 and by the time she was 19 she was imprisoned along with the rest of her family because her father had staged an unsuccessful coup. We learn of the unbelievable horrendous conditions these people had to live with, they had very little food and the conditions were not sanitary. They were only given Tide to wash up with and had to use salt as toothpaste. Their cells were infested with all kinds of insects, mice and rats but somehow this family found the will to survive it all. This is a story of survival and courage which will totally captivate you. This book is a fast read because its the type of book that made me stay up late to finish while I was yawning at my desk in the morning. I highly recommend reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!
Review: READ IT NOW! Once you start this book, you won't want to put it down until finished. Malika Oufkir's first five years were spent with her loving family. The next several years of her life were spent with her adoptive royal family. The King of Morocco wanted a live-in friend for his own daughter, therefore the adoption of Malika was arranged. When Malika was a teen-ager she was allowed to return to her family where she enjoyed being with those she loved. Shortly thereafter, in 1972, her father was executed after being accused of attempting to assassinate the king. As if guilty by association, Malika, now 18 hears old, her mother, brothers, sisters, and two compatriots were exiled and spent the next 20 years in various prisons. The background leading up to the exile of Malika, her family, and friends was indeed informative and educational. One staggering event in this story is that even though the parents agreed to the king's adoption of their five-year-old daughter solely for the purpose of providing a friend and playmate for the king's own child, there really was no choice in the matter. In other words, the king rules. Frightening is the fact is that the guilt by association exile and imprisonment of these people started not that long ago, in 1972. Briefly, as a teen-ager with her family, Malika did enjoy an exciting and fun-filled time. For example, she liked to dress in the most hip styles of the time, sneak out of the house at night and head for a local night club for an evening of dancing, etc. The meat of the story, however, begins with the exile. Living under horrendous conditions, which included lack of sanitation, lack of adequate food, lack of normal communication, this family persevered. Malika played a primary role in maintaining a will, not only to live and rise above their humiliation, but to escape their confines. Beginning their confinement, the youngest was only three. He grew up in prison. All of the family was concerned for him because he had no awareness of normal life. Through Malika's day to day, continued story telling, he learned much. Everyone looked forward to the story, which provided needed entertainment and a special camaraderie for these prisoners. It kind of reminded me of the "Arabian Nights", with a twist. Confinement to separate cells constituted part of their prison time. This was a clever family, though, and being separated inspired creative ways to stay in touch. Eventually a plan to escape materializes from the minds of these incarcerated innocents. You, now, must read this story to see what happens...
Rating:
Summary: Stolen Lives is a MUST read!!
Review: Have you ever been stripped from your life, your family, and your freedom? Most of us can proudly say that we have never been subjected to this kind of torture, but for one girl this was all to true. Malika Oufkir was at the tender age of five when she was asked to live in the Palace with the King and his court and to become the princess' "play mate". This was not common at all for these times in Morocco, so that is why it was such a privilege for her to be hand picked by the king, but on the other hand she was being stolen from her family. As the years went on she became accustomed to palace life and grew to like it there, so when she returned to her real family she has some adjusting to do. Not long after returning to normal life Malika's father was accused of attempting to over through the king and his policies. He was immediately killed and the whole Oukfir family was taken into custody by the King and placed in a deserted fort. Here they were still able to lead somewhat of a normal life, they were able to keep many of their nice clothes, furniture, and were treated well and feed normal food. After years there the family was moved to a desert jail where they endured what no human should ever endure. They were all separated into different cells, fed only dirty water and bread, beaten and kept from any form of sunlight, condemned to waste away in their cells. This would surely drive any person insane, but the Oufkir family was amazingly strong, they even created a phoning system so they could talk to each other every night. At this point in the book it was hard to put it down, with every page you would discover a new invention the kids had invented and, remarkably, kept hidden from the guards. With every chapter that passed, I realized more and more what a impressive, motivating, innocent and yet incredibly strong family this was. The book continues on to reveal how three of the kids escape and are fleeing from town to town attempting to find someone they know who is still alive, or who will not turn them into the police. One can only imagine that feeling: knowing that you have no one in the world to trust and having to watch your back constantly. Their story does not end there, the book continues to describe how the family was considered heroes for surviving such conditions, and yet the King placed them under house arrest again! After everything settled down the family then had to face probably their biggest challenge, returning to normal life. But what is normal life? They had to re-teach themselves how to trust, love and life, they no longer knew the meaning of the word freedom and didn't like how it had treated them in the past. This book is one that will leave a lasting impression on you. It will pull at your heart and stay on your mind, it will make you mad, sad, and yet amazed all at the same time. "Stolen Lives" is a definite must read!!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing True Story
Review: This was a great true story and it is amazing how the family finally did get out of the hell that they were condemn to. A friend of mine had recommended this book, telling me brief synopses. I was very intrigued by the story and in disbelief. I think what I found so interesting is that I never even known about this until I read the book! I don't remember anything on the news about this at all, when they were released in the 90s. Malika's story of bravery is incredible and almost too hard to even imagine such a transition (princess to prisoner) My only wish was that there was more about Malika's life after prison and with her family. I am eager to know how the family is healing after this ordeal... Fantastic Book!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely powerful and worth reading on many levels.
Review: Malika Oukfir's powerful true life story of her life as a princess followed by her life as a prisoner held my interest entirely. She details her experience in vivid detail, up until her last 3 years of imprisonment, which are less descriptive. Malika inserts her commentary throughout, so there's the effect of watching a movie with a narration about how an event shaped her life or how she's changed since then. The first part of the book details Malika's upbringing as an adopted princess in the Royal Palace at Rabat. It's unfathomable that when the King Muhammed V asked Malika's mother, (a married woman who could afford to raise her daughter and apparently loved her), if he could adopt 5 year-old Malika, she automatically said yes and left her with the King that afternoon. But this was a society where women were raised to be subservient to men, and no one said no to the King. King Muhammed V treated Malika like his own daughter, as did his son Hassan II (with a few notable exceptions) who became King a few years later. This section also includes fascinating descriptions of the lives of the King's 40 concubines, who at one point pedal bicycles behind the King in single file. Life as a princess may have seemed like a fairy tale with fabulous food, expensive clothes, horseback riding, and a private cinema, but Malika desperately missed her mother and her family. Ironically, for 20 years from age 18 to 38, she would be imprisoned with her mother and siblings. As a teenager, Malika returned home to her family, and lived the life of a wealthy student, which included international travel, partying at posh nightclubs with celebrities, and shopping extravaganzas. The good times ended when an assassination attempt was made on the King, her father was executed, and Malika age 18, her 5 siblings aged 3 to 16, her mother, and 2 family friends were sent into exile without a trial for what they were told would be 2 weeks, but turned out to be 20 years. The conditions of their lives in several prisons became increasingly wretched and difficult to read: rodent and flea infested cells, rotting food, slow starvation, illnesses, zero reading material, and thoughts of everything they were missing out on. But the love of the family, their sense of humor, their sense purpose in devising and implementing their escape plan, Malika's imagination in inventing a fictitious soap opera to entertain the family, and their ingenuity to make the most of their meager resources, helped them survive. Some of the things they invented in prison reminded me of the professor's inventions on Gilligan's Island! It was also interesting to read about the guards, some of whom were ashamed of what they were doing, while others were "just following orders." If not for their meticulous escape plan and mailing of pamphlets detailing their ordeal, the Oukfir family would likely still be in prison. The book is worth reading on many levels. One learns about: * Human coping and dignity under the most challenging circumstances.
* Human rights abuses that still go on to this day and the effectiveness of international pressure in making a difference.
* A culture unfamiliar to most readers
Also, this book helps one gain renewed appreciation for things we may take for granted such as a simple meal or hot running water. My only complaint is I wish Malika had included more about the post-prison healing process of her family. Thank you Malika for sharing your story.
Rating: 
Summary: Hope
Review: This powerful account might have been more acceptable had the trouble been in another time but to think this abuse occurred in recent years is hard to fathom. I read the story via audio tape from Talk Miramax Books. The reader, Edita Brychta, did an excellent job though it was difficult, for a westerner, to follow all the Moroccan names, names that are unfamiliar to our ears. The story is one that should find its way to the screen for it is a story of hope in the face of desperate times. It is a story of power run wild by throwing innocent people into a dirty, desert prison to let them rot away. One might be reminded of the injustice inflicted up Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. In this more recent account the captives were held for some 20 years for something to which they were not a party except by family association. It was amazing to appreciate the depths to which people will go to protect their pride. And more amazing to see how, in the most difficult of times, some people find hope. What I found so interesting was that in order to quell the loneliness of the prison, the author of this account developed a story, one with many characters.. and told this continuing story night after night for ten years without the use of paper or pen...all in her mind. Yes, these folks were all eventually free but the road to that freedom was one that would forever mark their lives. It is a book worth reading if for no other reason that it gives insights as to the horrors that exist in the hearts of mankind.
Rating:
Summary: Stolen Lives
Review: The first time that five year old Malika met King Muhammad V. and his beloved daughter Lalla Mina, the King asked Malika's parents if he could adopt her to be princess Lalla Mina's playmate. After he adopted her she was taken from her family and despite great sadness she was raised in luxury, as a princess, confined within the walls of the palace (a lifestyle of extremes and more complexity than the word luxury can convey). After Muhammad V. died, his son, Hasan II became King and adopted Malika. He raised Malika until she was old enough to return to her family by her own choice. After two years away from the palace her father attempted to assassinate Hasan II. Her father was killed and Hasan II, her adopted father, ordered Malika and her family (three women and six children, the youngest child was three) to be imprisoned under inhuman conditions. They would have been there until they died, if they hadn't escaped by digging a tunnel with their bare hands. Malika's voice is real and powerful. This book could not possibly have the same impact if it were not written from the voice of the survivor. You must read the book (with sensitivity or an understanding of the effects of captivity and isolation) to understand what I mean. Malika and her family were imprisoned in horrifying conditions, with meager amounts of rotten and contaminated foods, no soap or toothpaste. They suffered countless illnesses and injuries that were not treated. The outside world transformed while they remained hidden for twenty years. They devised games and created a story to survive, and even in the worst moments humor carried them through. They had unbelievable motivation, and family bond. I can see from the reviews on this book that all good books have critics. I can not imagine walking away from this book blind to the story it revealed, or holding judgment over the perceptions of the survivor who chose to speak out. The experiences of these women and children are appalling as an isolated event, but the even sadder truth is that such experiences are not even isolated events. This book serves as an invaluable education on political prisoners and the absurd reasons that innocent people are tortured and persecuted in appalling conditions for decades or lifetimes. Most people never even make it out to tell their stories, they are shut away so that they can never reveal the way they were treated and by whom.
Rating:
Summary: Very impressive book!!!
Review: Great book. Definitely a MUST READ. I was very touched. A young girl brought up as a princess when she was adopted by the King of Morrocco was brought into a prison when her father attempted to assasinate the King. The Mother and all of her kids (youngest is 2yrs old) were paired up into different cells. They couldnt even see each other for years, but can hear each other. They had Tide™ to wash their hair and rotten food to eat. This was once a very rich family that learned to live with nothing. Very sad, but I definitely recommend this book for everyone.
|
